Many people are familiar with the Yew Taxus baccata. It is a compact tree with dense, dark canopy that becomes decorated with bright red small berry-like fruits, called arils, this time of year. The Yew is an evergreen conifer native to the UK, although growing in the wild as woods mostly in the South Downs. They are widely planted as ornamentals in formal gardens and parks, but they have a long, historical association with churchyards and cemeteries, where some of the oldest yews in the country survive, some over 1000 years old, predating christianity. All parts of the yew are toxic, containing the alkaloid, taxol, except for the red flesh of the aril. Arils ripen from August, peaking in October or early November and lasting until December.
A young Yew in the Western Cemetery in Hull.
Goldctrest on Yew at East Park, Hull.
Goldcrests
Goldcrests are one of our smallest birds. They weigh 5-6 g. which is the weight of a 20p coin! They are greenish-grey, with paler underparts and a distinctive yellow (in females) and golden (in males) erectile crown framed with black. Goldcrests are very active and rarely pause in their activities, they need to feed constantly, and they search for tiny insects like spiders, springtails, insect eggs, etc. The link between the Goldcrest and the Yew has nothing to do with the arils, but with the tree structure. The dense evergreen canopy creates a microclimate sheltered from wind and damp, allowing Goldcrests to save precious energy. Other trees favoured by Goldcrests are also evergreen and with thick foliage: like spruce and ivy. If you approach a yew in a quiet location and listen carefully, you may hear a high-pitched song, like someone playing a tiny violin. Pause and look and you might have a glimpse of the tiny Goldcrest.
Other species associated with yews
Yew berries are eaten by a range of birds: Blackbirds, Mistle Thrushes - who often guard them, chasing other birds away -, Starlings and Robins. Greenfinches will eat the seeds, removing the poisonous tough seed coat and the fleshy aril. Grey Squirrels also love the berries and are often seen sitting on yews feeding on them.
More information
Finding Goldcrests in Hull. A post in Wild about Hull.
Snow, B. & Snow, D. Birds and Berries. 1988. T & AD Poyser.