Oaklore by Jules Acton

 

Oaklore

 by Jules Acton


Oaklore by Jules Acton was published on 3rd September 2024 by Greystone Books.

 My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to 

Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.




Jules lives and breathes trees. She works for the Woodland Trust and her love of the oak is central to Oaklore but she takes a holistic approach. Oaks in the UK support 2300 other plants, animals and fungi and the book encompasses the birds, spiders, beetles and butterflies to be found on them.

She is effusive, stimulating all of the senses. Eyes popping with enthusiasm, ears attuned to every sound and fingers sensitive to the many textures to be found in the woods. She encourages walkers to switch off their air pods and concentrate instead on the sounds of nature.

Oaklore is peppered with British cultural references from Bagpuss and Professor Yaffle to goths and Winnie the Pooh. Her sense of fun extends to the similes and metaphors she uses:

  • A pied flycatcher is ‘giving off a two tone vibe like a member of a 1980s ska band’

  • The glam hawk moths are ‘the Lady Gaga and Jimi Hendrix of moth life’

  • She likens the beautiful tones of lichen on nests of long tailed tits to a Farrow and Ball paint chart

  • She describes slugs making love on an oak imagining a soundtrack of Barry White

  • She compares the fight for survival between the oak and fungi to Game of Thrones

  • She refers to oaks having acorns with lots of different dads as ‘a blended family par excellence’

  • She describes nuthatches ‘hanging around the entrance to the forest like a gathering of goths’

  • And she brilliantly describes the Latin name of the oak jewel beetle – ‘agrilus biguttatus’- as sounding like the name of a villain from Monty Python’s Life of Brian






My Thoughts

This is one of those lovely informative books to keep nearby and just up into every now and then rather than devour all in one go.

I am an absolute tree lover ( and hugger) and am at my happiest when surrounded by trees and nature. Since reading the book, and making notes of where certain specimen oak trees are, I have travelled to Sherwood Forest to revisit The Mighty Oak, been to Belton Park - home of the Ancient Burry Oak and spent many hours analysing the many different lichens that grow on these ancient and majestic trees.

I have learnt so much from this gem of a book and come April I will be starting to look out for the different galls that grow on these beautiful trees as I didn’t realise there were so many varieties to identify.

If you are a nature lover , like me, treat yourself to this lovely book and share Jules’ enthusiasm for this world of extraordinary trees.


About Jules





Jules, whose surname means ‘oak place’ – can trace her love of nature back to childhood. A former journalist, she has worked for the Woodland Trust, the Wildlife Trusts and WaterAid. She lives near Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, with her husband, Toby, and rescue dog, Pepe. This is her first book.

SALLY MOLLAN, the artist responsible for the stunning illustrations which open each chapter, is the sister of Jules. Originally from Derbyshire she now lives in Ireland.






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