Native Black Poplars

As part of my volunteer role as resident artist with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, I'm making portraits of native black poplars around the county, from sapling to ancient. I'm collaborating with local poet, Maggie Reed. Together, we hope to capture something of the individuality and beauty of each tree, and encourage people to go looking for them.

These magnificent, gnarly trees, celebrated in John Constable's paintings, were once common on floodplains and wet areas. However, drainage of the land for agriculture has meant they have slowly disappeared from the landscape. A recent survey estimated there are 7000 black poplars in England, Wales and Ireland, of which only 600 are female and vital to the survival of the species.

A small but dedicated group of volunteers is working to save the tree in our county, supported by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and The Herefordshire Tree Wardens. Work includes recording, assessing and caring for existing trees, planting new trees and DNA analysis to identify clones where funds permit. An arboretum has recently been created at Oak Tree Farm nature reserve with examples of every known Herefordshire clone, male and female. Find out how you can help here.

Maggie and I will be showing our work in the Jubilee Building at Queenswood in October 2026 with accompanying events including drawing and poetry workshops.