More on the winds of the last week, in Robbo

We have had a beating over the last 10 days or so, with the winds. (And it has been cold too).


However, it is the wind on which I wish to focus.


There has been a sad event in the cemetery, which I am confident is wind-related, not a result of mindless vandalism. I am recording this, in the hope that at some stage in the future, grieving relatives do not get the wrong idea about the damage to the Head Stone.


This perfectly lovely head stone has blown over, and in so doing has cracked and been chipped. You can see the fresh flakes and you can see how it hit one side of the grave edge and that caused it to split on the diagonal.

In the same windy week, half of one of the huge Sally Wattles (Blackwood Wattles) in the Cemetery grounds also came down. This tree was noted for the huge load of vines which were growing over the tree, and they acted like a spinnaker, trapping the wind and greatly increasing the loading on the tree. A neighbouring Blackwood Wattle, whch did not have so many vines, survived the winds just fine.

Fallen branches and vines from Blackwood Wattle in Cemetery

You can see the amount of foliage and extraneous vegetation which has come down. I have marked it with a yellow line on the image. I would guess that his tree (half of which is still there), is probably 100 years old. It has certainly seen many storms before.

It was noted for the massive growth of Pyrrosia (Rock Felt Fern) growing all over the branches of the tree. That only happens on really old Blackwood Wattles. The younger trees usually have clean branches.