Combed trees in South Devon (photo: Mathew Stiller-Reeve)
The wind combs the land, the trees, the bushes.
The slow growing vegetation drawn into shape
By the prevailing winds that blow.
On a still day, the trees tell the wind’s story
And the weather it may bring.
In Devon, the trees and bushes turn their backs to the south west.
The strongest winds blow from there,
From across the Atlantic,
Forced by the cyclones that so often batter.
The cyclones that bring the moist, cool, maritime winds.
Winds that blow our hair so wildly.
Winds that sculpt the plants so slowly.
As if with hair gel,
The plants stick.
Permanently combed.
Permanently telling us about the weather we most often see.
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Mathew Stiller-Reeve
I am a postdoc researcher at NORCE Climate and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research. I research the monsoon in Bangladesh and I am the founder of ClimateSnack; a community that hopes to give all young and early career climate scientists an opportunity to practice and improve their scientific communication skills.
Latest posts by Mathew Stiller-Reeve (see all)
- SciSnack: The Next Generation - December 13, 2018
- Give us the foundation to build our transferrable skills! - June 25, 2018
- The art of exchanging weather stories - October 4, 2017