Aftermath of Storm Eowyn in Glasgow.

                                                     ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN

A couple of days after Storm Eowyn occurred I was out and about assessing the damage. Practically every trail, canal path or woodland walkway had trees blown down across them in the aftermath of this late January storm in 2025. Winds in excess of 80 to 100 miles per hour crossed Central Belt Scotland and parts of Ireland/ Northern Ireland and even now, a few months later, I'm still finding new ones toppled. To date over 100 large mature trees have been toppled between Anniesland And Clydebank at the last count, only one small quarter of Glasgow so city wide the number of lost trees must be considerable. Large tree. Above.  Forth and Clyde Canal. Blairdardie District.

Large Tree. Knightswood Park.

Large beech tree. Dawsholm Park.

Tree Down River Kelvin Gorge.

Even in cases where the roots held firm , half the tree was still snapped off, by the wind strength alone. 

Some trees toppled down over others nearby so 4 or 5 fell together and this group brought down power lines across a busy main road.

From my point of view so many trees down along the canal network brought back the peace and tranquility sadly lacking the last few years on many solo walks outdoors within the city. For once I didn't need to look behind me every 20 paces to see if a cyclist was racing past me before I deviated my course and footsteps on the path in any way. This might seem like a small thing but I strongly suspect if I ever get knocked down outdoors, chances are it will be by bike along a canal tow path somewhere. It's almost happened on a number of occasions already so for a precious few weeks this was like going back to the early weeks of lockdown for me, when people were scared/ reticent to go outdoors. In that human absence.... Nature thrived. Fact. Far less people around... and hardly any cyclists on canals. Bliss. When Nicola Sturgeon was on TV every day during Covid briefings telling people to get out and exercise at every opportunity for the good of their mental and physical health it obviously worked. But what if the sheer numbers of people enjoying the outdoors simply outweigh the benefits of being outdoors and feeling good in the first place?  I reached that point on a recent outing to Bowling a few weeks ago when it was so busy there I turned back in disgust. A future post to come.

On the negative side if the weather is getting increasingly disruptive trees may be one of the things that suffer in a future UK as several of Glasgow's parks are down dozens of specimens.... walking round each one.

It's not just one storm as every year more trees disappear from our woods.

Dawsholm Park again.

One where the roots held firm but the tree just exploded at the base.

Other examples were left dangling, like a survivalists dead fall trap laid across an animal track to catch unwary prey. One can but hope    :o)

Meanwhile, in Late March, Spring is on the way.... animals are breeding in pre-conditioned rituals..

Human beings are getting outdoors..... enjoying the benefits and wonders of nature... for that instant feel good vibe.

I used to be a fan of all things Spring... snowdrops, daffodils, crocus clumps, cherry blossom.... but nowadays I've noticed nature is also good at hiding the ubiquitous piles of rubbish in our hedgerows, canals, and roadside verges.

 This must be nature's most important job these days. It's main function.

Grey Squirrel on moss step.

A coot.

The blue feet of a coot. It's most remarkable feature. Did it stand in blue paint or is it natural? You choose. Could be paint though given all the rubbish dumped in canals these days.

A dead rat after the storm.

Flooded roads after storm.

Come on nature... do your stuff... in another month of growth... you will hide this mess ... completely...yet again...    So, One of the main modern benefits of Spring and Summer these days....as far as I can tell.... is nature's ability to hide our junk from sight. It's a miracle! So, enjoy.... so much of Humanity is hidden in the great outdoors.