One thing about Lockdown.01 was that it forced us to take our exercise locally. We resisted the temptation to drive to Barnard’s Castle, or even just down the road to our goto walks around Upham. We discovered some lovely open spaces and back alleys around the West End area. Hatch Grange is a wonderful area of open woodland and dense forest. Granted, at the weekend thee are plenty of other people enjoying the area, but it’s big enough for this not to be too intrusive.
There is a very beautiful and rare (in the UK) tree standing out in the open area.
American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), also known as American storax,[2]hazel pine,[3]bilsted,[4]redgum,[2]satin-walnut,[2]star-leaved gum,[4]alligatorwood,[2] or simply sweetgum,[2][5] is a deciduoustree in the genus Liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central America. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern United States, and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. It is recognizable by the combination of its five-pointed star-shaped leaves and its hard, spiked fruits. It is currently classified in the plant familyAltingiaceae, but was formerly considered a member of the Hamamelidaceae.[6
