On the 7th of September, one of our volunteers made a shocking discovery. The trunk of our monumental beech, better known as 'the Beef Beech,' had finally drawn its final breath. It lay prominently across the bed of lilies of the valley and the adjacent path. The now half-decayed 'hanging elder' had been leaning dangerously against the branches of the still-living part of the Beef Beech for about five years. Fungi and both small and larger creatures had been causing it to shrink further each year. Who or what gave it the final push, we will never know. But fortunately, the living part of the Beef Beech remains standing tall. Our two-hundred-year-old tree, which barely survived the Dutch famine (1944 - 1945), will keep going for a while longer.
Don't know the story behind the name of the Beef Beech? Then listen to our our audio tour.
By: Søren Ludvig Movig