Markshall in May

Yesterday I visited Markshall as for my monthly Twelve Months on an Essex Country Estate painting project. It was the 29th May, which you may know is Oak Apple Day. This commemorates the restoration of the monarchy with King Charles II in 1660, and was for many years a public holiday.

Bearing this in mind, I decided that the Honywood Oak should be the subject of my big painting this month. I found a sunny spot to sit and sketch this veteran tree, which is estimated to be over 800 years old.

The Honywood Oak

It has a little fence around it to protect the roots from soil compression caused by people walking close to it.

I used Caran D’Ache Neocolour II water-soluble wax pastels to make a little sketch of the tree.

While I was walking around the arboretum afterward, by a strange coincidence I saw a twig of oak leaves with an oak apple lying on the track, which I have brought home to draw.

An Oak Apple is not, of course, an apple at all, but is caused by a tiny parasitic gall wasp who lays her egg in the bud of the oak, prompting the tree to develop this swelling. The new wasp eats her way out when she has hatched.  You can always see the tiny hole where she made her exit . . .

The Walled Garden, and the Coach House Garden were both looking really lovely, full of roses, irises, poppies and peonies. Here are a few that particularly caught my eye . . .

A cuckoo was calling intermittently all the time that I was walking round, the peacock was screeching and the geese on the lake honking! Everywhere was very lush and green, and – away from the busy café – there were very few people around, so mostly I had the place to myself.

It is a lovely time of the year to visit Markshall – do go if you are in the area!