Country diary: an old bird cherry tree that supports a profusion of new life

Wolsingham, Durham: There are aphids, hoverflies, spiders and beetles, but where are the small ermine moth caterpillars?

Five years ago we rounded a bend in the Weardale Way footpath and discovered that the sombre plantation of Scots pine that we had known for forty years had been clear-felled. The ground flora and insect life has become more diverse with every passing year, but the most conspicuous beneficiary has been a single tree, an old bird cherry (Prunus padus).

It stands in what was a small clearing in the pines, now flooded with sunlight after decades in the shade. This morning its 40ft dome of white blossom stood before us, with a blackcap singing from within.