WMT #11: Beautiful Bountiful Blossomer
The cache, a camo-taped preform tube, is hidden alongside a lane near a cluster of farms and cottages forming part of West Morton hamlet. Along this high contour part of the trail, there are great panoramic views to the south and southwest.
To find the cache, clicking on the image above will take you to a jigsaw puzzle, completion of which will reveal the final coordinates and a helpful hint.
Please note that the cache description contains an external link to a jigsaw.
Although it is from a well-known source, it has 'not been checked by Groundspeak nor by the reviewer for possible malicious content and access to the site is therefore at your own risk'.
The Wild (or Sweet) Cherry (Prunus avium) with its beautiful blossom and bountiful bright red fruits is one of the prettiest native trees and relished by gardeners and wildlife. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree (to 30m) found scattered in old woodland. 100s of cultivars have also been planted in new woods, parks, gardens and streets. The double-flowered form 'Plena' is commonly found, rather than the wild single-flowered forms - in the UK this has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
A member of the Rosaceae (Rose) family, mature trees can grow to 30m and live for up to 60 years. The shiny bark is a deep reddish-brown with prominent cream-coloured horizontal lines - lenticels which allow cells beneath to 'breathe'. The species name refers to birds which play a key role in the tree’s propagation by eating the cherries and dispersing the seed.
It can be identified in winter by twigs which have oval-shaped buds in clusters.
Its leaves are oval, green and bluntly-serrated (toothed) with pointed tips, measuring 6–15cm with two red glands on the petiole (stalk) at the leaf base
which fade to orange and deep crimson in autumn. These are extrafloral nectaries which attract ants to combat leaf-eating insects.
It is a hermaphrodite with male and female reproductive parts found in the same flower. The beautiful clusters of 2-6 flowers appear in April - one of the earlier trees to blossom - and are white and cup-shaped, with five petals. The flowers are similar to those of the bird cherry, dog rose and blackthorn.
After pollination by insects, the flowers develop into globular, hairless, deep-red cherries on long stalks.
Compare and don't confuse with: Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) – fruits on shorter stalks, duller brown bark; or Bird cherry (Prunus padus) - big long leaves with tiny teeth, and flowers in stiff tails.
Some rodents, and a few birds (notably the hawfinch) crack open the stones to eat the kernel inside. The leaves provide food for some animals, including Lepidoptera such as the Case-bearer moth Coleophora anatipennella.
Uses: it has been an item of human food for 1,000s of years and the stones have been found in deposits at Bronze Age settlements throughout Europe, including in Britain.
As the main ancestor of the cultivated cherry, it is one of the 2 cherry species which supply most of the world's commercial cultivars of edible cherry (the other is the sour cherry Prunus cerasus, mainly used for cooking).
The hard, reddish-brown wood is valued as a hardwood for woodturning, and making cabinets and musical instruments. It is also used for smoking foods, especially meats, in North America, as it adds a distinct and pleasant flavour.
The gum from bark wounds is aromatic and can be chewed as a substitute for chewing gum. Medicine can be prepared from the stalks (peduncles) of the drupes (cherries) that is astringent, antitussive, and diuretic.
A green dye can also be prepared from the plant.
See here for a short descriptive video.
Wild Cherry is the name of an American funk rock band from the 70s, see here for a video of their greatest hit - the classic 'Play that Funky Music!'.
