Is that a collective sigh of relief in the north east? Sycamore Gap is showing signs of regrowth! As our broadleaf tree friends are shedding their leaves the National Trust have reported that 25 new shoots have emerged from the Sycamore Gap stump near Hadrian’s Wall. A section of the trunk is also now on display at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre near Hexham. The exhibition is not intended to simply memorialise the tree but to "subvert it into positive action for nature" with visitors pledging to do something pro-nature. So, a subversive sycamore it is! And if you want to nurture a sycamore, people/communities can apply to be a lucky winner of one of 49 free Sycamore Gap saplings in the National Trust’s ‘Trees of Hope’ initiative. Deadline for applications is 23:59 25 October 2024 with winners announced during #NationalTreeWeek.

The sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) is thought to have been introduced to the British Isles either by the Romans, or more probably sometime in the 1500s. It’s a hardy tree and one of the fastest growing broadleaves in the UK. It can host a wide range of lichen and aphid species which is a valuable food supply for many organisms.

These photos from a @newcastleuni @landscape_newcastleapl MLA field visit in October 2022 show #sycamoregap peeping over #Hadrianswall and a leaf from the tree displaying Tarspot (Rhytisma acerinum) – a common fungus that affects sycamores but which happily does no lasting damage.

Sources: National Trust, Woodland Trust,