Pollards (“Kopfweiden” - “Knotwilgen”)

Ponts de Paris  

Prints with typically Dutch (they are not…..) landscape dominating pollards are often just irresistible. Childhood memories happen to be an important motivation in later development of the collecting virus. As a boy I helped the neighbouring farmer cutting these sheltering the cattle against wind and rain trees, lining the ditches,  meadows, brooks and rivers in our lowlands. When farmers still had 20-30 milking cows, some pigs, some sheep and and a barn with chicken. When they had enough…… When you could disappear in the field flowers in spring, when field birds were still abundant………..  

Although the birds and field flowers almost have disappeared in the last 30 years, we must be thankful remnants of preserved lines of pollards still survive in many regions. ……. And thankful to the the volunteers that help maintain them.