HistoryPoints News

Aug 23, 2012

The not-so-popular poplars


The black poplar is among Britain's rarest native trees, and St Asaph has one of the biggest groups. Once the ...
timber was widely used for soldiers' shields, building frames and many other things, until imported and hybrid species muscled in and black poplar was forgotten. Only 2,000 are left in Britain, of which about 200 are in North-east Wales, and parents no longer bother warning their children of the bad luck that comes from collecting the red catkins - or "devil's fingers". To read more, scan the QR codes on the riverside wooden fence near St Asaph bridge, or click here.