note  Populus nigra 'Italica' is the Lombardy Poplar

Dibbinsdale

Group of 3 trees

1 Male and 1 Female tree planted autumn 2011

To celebrate the 40th Birthday of Cheshire Wildlife Trust

 A group of Wirral Wildlife members met at Brotherton Park, Dibbinsdale on 12th November 2011 to mark the 40th anniversary of the group. Many had given 30 years or more of support. The afternoon was dry and mild and two native Black Poplars were planted. A thousand years ago Black Poplars thrived on floodplains but it is now Britain’s rarest native timber tree. In 1993 scientists warned that this great tree could be extinct by the end of the century. To reduce this risk clones from Cheshire trees have been raised at Chester Zoo with the aim of re-establishing the trees in suitable habitats.

 1 Female planted winter 2021                                       

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Wirral Wildlife

Location of group of trees   https://w3w.co/rounds.pose.swung

Black poplar is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers are found on separate trees. Flowers are catkins (male catkins are red and female catkins are yellow-green), and are pollinated by the wind.

Only around 7,000 wild black poplars now grow in Britain and of these, only 600 are female trees.

https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/populus/populus-nigra/

Black Poplar (Populus nigra) - British Trees - Woodland Trust

Approximately 370 mature specimens have been recorded growing in Cheshire since 1990 but they are mostly mature trees that are gradually being lost through old age. Historically male trees were planted more than females, as the females produce lots of fluffy seeds that can spoil crops or make a mess in gardens.

Of 105 mature Cheshire trees only 7 different clones 4 male & 3 female

Black Poplar Project | Chester Zoo

https://www.chesterzoo.org/news/black-poplar-project/

Field studies by Edgar Milne-Redhead have shown that P. nigra var. betulifolia is a true native of Britain south of a line joining the Mersey and the Humber

Black poplar is the food plant for the caterpillars of many moths, including the hornet, wood leopard, poplar hawk and figure of eight. The catkins provide an early source of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects, and the seeds are eaten by birds. 

Uses of Black Poplar

Most people know of Yew being used for long bows – but did you know Black Poplar was the most common wood used in the production of arrows.

On the Mary Rose (sank 1545)  2,302 complete arrows and about 7,834 fragments where found. 

Nine different species of wood have been identified within the arrows studied, but most are poplar (77%)

 https://maryrose.org/artefacts/arrow-bundle/

https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/populus/populus-nigra/