32. Bog oak

The wood grain curves and twists in the bog oak

I held the piece of black wood in my hand and marveled at it. It is from an oak tree that lived about 5,000 years ago, and the black colour comes from being preserved in the acid environment of a bog.

My bog oak fragment is from the base of the 'Flame Figures' sculpture in the Bealtaine garden, part of which began to soften and break as water lodged in its crevices. Created by sculptor Ronnie Graham, it represents both lovers and flames, the twin themes of the Bealtaine garden.

Flame Figures by Ronnie Graham

It is a strange feeling holding something that lived so long ago. I wonder if it was part of a dense forest or a lone tree on a hillside, and what its corner of Ireland looked like as early farmers began to make their mark. It is hard to imagine a landscape with no towns, no roads, no electric wires and with great tracts of forest still intact. A landscape that at one time supported bears, wolves and beavers.

Again the question asks itself - what have we done to nature, and what are we still doing to nature?