Bejewelling

23/12/2024

Older stems in Pando are also being affected by at least three diseases: sooty bark canker, leaf spot and conk fungal disease. While plant diseases have developed and thrived in aspen stands for millennia, it is unknown what the long-term effect on the ecosystem may be, given that there is a lack of new growth and an ever-growing list of other pressures on the clonal giant.

The fastest-growing threat is that of climate change. Pando arose after the last ice age had passed and has dealt with a largely stable climate ever since. To be sure, it inhabits an alpine region surrounded by desert, meaning it is no stranger to warm temperatures or drought. But climate change threatens the size and lifespan of the tree, as well as the whole ecosystem it hosts.

Although no scientific studies have focused specifically on Pando, aspen stands have been struggling with climate change-related pressures, such as reduced water supply and warmer weather earlier in the year, making it harder for trees to form new leaves, which have led to declines in coverage. With more competition for ever-dwindling water resources (the nearby Fish Lake is just out of reach of the tree’s root system), temperatures expected to continue soaring to record highs in summer, and the threat of more intense wildfires, Pando will certainly struggle to adjust to these fast-changing conditions while maintaining its size.

20/12/2024

Grimsey's position so far north also means that islanders experience polar nights, when the island is cast into a months-long stretch of total darkness from early December through mid-February. "In my case, the darkness does not bother me. It does bother some people after a certain point, but we know that it will get light again," Ingolfsdottir said.

18/12/2024

18/12/2024

Hiking up to the top of a valley in Wales' Cambrian Mountains, I was struck by the silence. The noise of the modern world that we've trained ourselves to filter out becomes conspicuous by its absence. This is probably the best indication that you've entered one of Britain's remote places, and a good sign if you're trying to find a bothy, one of the free-to-use shelters that dot the country's wild areas.

Founded in 1965, the Mountain Bothy Association (MBA) is a registered charity that maintains "simple shelters in remote country for the use of all who love wild and lonely places". The organisation manages more than 100 bothies in Scotland, Wales and Northern England.

The system is simple. Bothies are free to use and open to anyone. They can't be booked in advance, and there's an unwritten rule that the bothy is never full (although groups of six or more and commercial groups are asked not to use them). As long as you follow the MBA's Bothy Code, which is based on respect for other users, the bothy and the surroundings, you're welcome.