Where was this photo taken?

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Thu 05 Apr, 2012 9:18 pm

It was the shrub that seemed to be growing on the roof that caught my eye. I took the photo in LS1 on April 3 2012, but which building?

jdbythesea · Post by **jdbythesea** » Thu 05 Apr, 2012 9:43 pm

Not sure where the building is yet but it looks like a buddleia (butterfly bush) that seems to be thriving on it. These plants seem to be able to get a toehold in the most difficult out-of-the way locations.JD

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Thu 05 Apr, 2012 10:02 pm

jdbythesea wrote: Not sure where the building is yet but it looks like a buddleia (butterfly bush) that seems to be thriving on it. These plants seem to be able to get a toehold in the most difficult out-of-the way locations.JD Yes jdbythesea plants do seem to be able to grow in what seems to be not the best of places, just as this one is doing. I shall have to keep an eye out to see if it flowers.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Thu 05 Apr, 2012 10:10 pm

Talking of plants growing in unusual places I took this photo on April 3 2012 showing a fern-like plant growing on the wall a bit out of direct sunlight of one of the arches of the Dark Arches. OK, the site will be moist but I wonder where the plant gets its nutrients from (for interest I shall post a close-up view of the plant in my next post).

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Thu 05 Apr, 2012 10:13 pm

This is the close-up view of the plant. It seems as if it could be spreading so I wonder how much wall it will soon cover unless its growth there is very slow due to limited nutrients.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Thu 05 Apr, 2012 11:11 pm

I can't spot your tree Leodian, but it's somewhere up on this roof herehttp://g.co/maps/naj3rAs for trees growing in inhospitable places, under viaducts and bridges, the old Victorian viaducts were built with very limited technology on soakways and a lot of rain water seeps through the structure, the thick ballast trackbed being a perfect substrate to keep things cool and moist. The silver birch tree is probably the most rampant of all railway trees, it will overtake a whole disused rail yard in two years. It has a very shallow root system but it spreads out very far, it can grow on top of viaducts quiet happily with only a few inches of oily composted ballast. They cut the trees down periodically on top of the Holbeck viaduct, I've seen them do two sections in the last 6 years. Here's a view of the trees that were cut down two years previoushttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/508806 ... 584Cutting the trees down only makes them grow back faster and stronger, there is a massive root system still in place feeding a tiny tree, it soon shoots up in size.This next photo across a bridge shows the rails built up on huge wooden plinths across the bridge, you can see there is only a foot depth at most for the trees to anchor down and grow.http://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn ... 584/Notice how the ballast has been scooped out across the bridge sections, I guess this is for inspection work to check the bridges are in good order. Take a closer look at the viaducts and you can see there are gutters leading down from the soak pits every so often.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Thu 05 Apr, 2012 11:46 pm

Your guess Phill of where the photo with the plant on the roof was taken was right for the whole building but it is at the other side of that building at the start of the old Pack Horse inn passageway (at Ernest Jones) leading off Lands Lane. This link should show the location in the Google Street view (there is no plant though!). http://g.co/maps/fymrbPS. I've just noticed the T in Pret is missing! I guess though that at a probable coffee shop (I've never been in a Pret a Manger) there would be no tea! Sorry for that! PPS. I like your photos Phill of the trees growing. It is amazing just how fast nature will recolonise ground.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Thu 05 Apr, 2012 11:52 pm

Leodian wrote: Your guess Phill of where the photo with the plant on the roof was taken was right for the whole building but it is at the other side of that building at the start of the old Pack Horse inn passageway (at Ernest Jones) leading off Lands Lane. This link should show the location in the Google Street view (there is no plant though!). http://g.co/maps/fymrb Nice one Leodian, yes I know that section of street view is very poor, for some reason it misses the section off outside the shop totally, It jumps from one place to somewhere not very near

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 06 Apr, 2012 1:24 am

You might find this about urban plant growth interesting leodian, some good photos of plants and trees growing in unusual places.https://www.ser.org/midatl/pdf/deltredici.pdf

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 06 Apr, 2012 9:42 am

A most unlikely sounding but very true episode occurred when I worked at Samuel Ledgard's Otley depot in the late 1950s. One of the Wartime utility double deckers was taken out of service for a couple of years and, strangely, was allowed to occupy valuable space inside the rear of the depot for the whole time - most withdrawn vehicles were stored elsewhere pending decisions on their future. Anyway, we began to notice that a healthy "twig" was growing out of one of the top deck corner pillars (wooden framed bodies) and began to flourish almost like a Quatermass item !! It caused great amusement and interest - but it was doomed because JUA 916 was fully overhauled and recertified, and returned to service for several years as one of our finest and most potent Daimlers - as an enthusiast employee it was one of my all time favourite motors.