Tree of the month: January 2024 - Ivy

Ivy grows prolifically in shaded areas and in poor soils, be they wet, dry or acidic. Our native common Ivy changes form depending on where it is growing. As ground-cover and when adhering to tree-trunks, walls and other structures the leaves are 3 or 5 lobed on short stems. In this form, Ivy has no flowers or fruits but the dense cover, while capable of crowding out other plants, can provide valuable nesting sites and protection for insects, birds and small mammals, including bats.

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As the stems grow higher and stronger (it can grow up to 30m and become a tree in itself) the aerial roots thicken and are more self-supporting. The stems branch out, the leaves change shape becoming ‘entire’ with no lobes, and can produce flowers in late autumn. The clusters of flowers (‘umbels’) support a wide range of insects, especially those like Red Admiral that feed up to overwinter as adults. Flowers ripen into fruits in winter, food for many birds.

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Contrary to common belief, Ivy does not damage trees. Research by Oxford University for Kew Gardens in 2017 showed that, unless there are crevices into which the aerial roots and stems penetrate, Ivy can protect some buildings. It can buffer structures and habitats against temperature extremes and humidity, reducing frost damage, while also protecting from damage by small-particle pollution.

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Insects benefitting from Ivy: Many of the 50+ species supported by Ivy are insects, which feed on the very valuable nectar and pollen rich flowers that appear in late autumn and early winter, when there are few other flowers out. The Ivy Bee has only been recorded in the UK since 2001 and is quickly spreading north but many bees, flies, hoverflies, wasps, and the Hornet all take advantage of this late food-source.

All the Butterflies that overwinter in the UK as adults - the Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock and Brimstone - can be seen feeding-up on Ivy flowers ready for winter. Insects don’t actually hibernate but they go into dormancy when it falls below 10°C, some emerging in warm weather to feed up again.

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The second brood of the Holly Blue butterfly caterpillars feed on Ivy flowers and the caterpillars of moths like Angle-shades, Small Dusty Wave and the Swallowtail moth feed on Ivy leaves.

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The value of the Ivy to birds: Blackbirds, other members of the thrush family, the Starling, Woodpigeon and Blackcap all benefit from Ivy berries which are ripe over winter when there are fewer other high-energy high-fat berries around. Other birds shelter or nest in dense Ivy cover on trees and buildings. Insect-eating birds like the Wren benefit from the insulating effect of dense Ivy growth. During cold periods, insects are more likely to survive under Ivy than elsewhere.

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Other invertebrates, such as Ladybirds and spiders feed on the tiny insects attracted to Ivy flowers. A patch of Ivy flowers in the autumn sun is ofter buzzing with many species of wildlife.

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Myths and symbolism of Ivy: There are many, sometimes contradictory, claims made for Ivy by early cultures. Some link to its evergreen (‘immortal’) character. For ancient Egyptians the Ivy is sacred to Osiris who was believed to have been resurrected after death. The ‘everlasting’ quality has represented fidelity and some echo this ancient belief by including a spray of Ivy in their wedding bouquets.

Romans celebrated special achievement with this plant, presenting successful poets and athletes with a wreath of Ivy.

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Ivy and alcohol: For the ancient Greeks, more from hope than experience we assume, the longlasting and ‘cooling’ properties of Ivy led to the belief that wearing a wreath of Ivy would prevent intoxication from the ‘fleeting’ impact of wine. The Greek god Dionysus, renamed Bacchus by the Romans, is the god of wine and ecstasy. He was represented in images and sculptures adorned with a wreath of Ivy and Grapes. The Ivy wreath was believed to be sufficient to prevent intoxication! This representation was also very popular in the 15th and 16th century, used by artists including Caravaggio and Michelangelo. Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79), an early nature recorder, (the writer of ‘Nature History’) who also believed trees to be earth’s richest bounty, the temples for the gods, wrote “a vessel made of this (Ivy) wood will let wine pass through it, while water will remain” indicating that Ivy was used at this time to authenticate the purity of wine.

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Ivy in traditional medicine: Ivy, a member of the ginseng family, has long been used to treat medical conditions, and is still in use by some for respiratory tract infection, catarrh and coughs. It contains saponins and anti-inflammatory substances and is available in over-the-counter form in many European countries. It is thought to purify the air in homes, especially from mould spores and allergens, and is listed by NASA as one of the 18 most useful indoor air purifiers.

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The Ivy in literature: Although Ivy wood is a fine-grained and lightcoloured wood it does not have many uses as timber, although thicker stems and trunks can be used for carving of small items like chesspieces and ornaments, or for whittling. However Ivy has been drawn on by many writers and poets due to its character and symbolism. As in the myths associated with Ivy, what it symbolises varies considerably. Shakespeare uses it in different ways. In The Tempest it represents a parasite, sucking out life, clearly a myth prevailing at that time as well as today. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream it represents encircling love- the enchanted Titania says to Bottom “the female Ivy so enrings the barky fingers of the elm. Oh how I love thee, how I dote on thee”. The elm as male and the female as Ivy, clinging round the elm was a common metaphor for a loving relationship in Shakespeare’s time.

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James Joyce, in his short story “Ivy Day in the Committee Room” is drawing on the custom of wearing an Ivy leaf in recognition of the Irish Nationalist politician Charles Stewart Parnell.

There was a tradition of wearing an Ivy leaf in the lapel on Ivy Day (6th October). Joyce is referencing the wearing of an ivy leaf is to represent striving for the ideals represented by Parnell. In the story he is clear that, in his view, contemporary politicians, fell short of these ideals.

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John Clare in “To the Ivy” writes:
“Dark creeping ivy with thy berries brown
That fondly twist on ruins all their own,
Old spire-points studding with a leafy crown
Which every minute threatens to dethrone,
Wreathes picturesque around some ancient tree
That bows his branches by some fountain-side:
Then sweet it is from summer suns to be,
With thy green darkness overshadowing me”