Stoneleigh : a natural garden Villanova , PA | 42 acres

At Stoneleigh : a natural

garden , a London planetree —

close cousin to the native

American sycamore — has

towered over the Main House

for more than 150 years . Its pale ,

mottled branches have shaded

the gardens below , inspired

artists and poets , and offered

shelter to songbirds and

other critters .

Sadly , the tree is dying .

Weakened by both sycamore

anthracnose and canker stain ,

the London planetree was

the core of the tree — the

no longer safe and had to be

heartwood — softens and more

scaled back dramatically

insects arrive . Woodpeckers ,

earlier this spring . It now stands

nuthatches , and chickadees

as an example of the value of

tap holes into the crumbling

top : Samantha Nestory ; bottom : David Korbonits

dying and dead trees to the environment , a tree sculpture that will be planted with native vines .

A tree ’ s death can serve a purpose as vital as its life . Beetles and other insects bore into the softening wood , creating openings for fungal spores and bacteria . Over time ,

wood as they feast on the bugs , creating cavities for other bird species and mammals to use as nesting space or protection from winter ’ s chill . Mushrooms sprout from the bark while , on the ground , new plant species emerge in the newly available sunshine .

Carolina Chickadee nesting in the tree sculpture

Every gardener knows that

change is part of tending a garden

. We invite you to visit Stoneleigh

to watch how the London

planetree changes in this new phase of its existence . W