A couple of days ago I decided to explore a corner of the Forest I don’t know. It is the part cut off by the Ring with a sequence of lakes and ponds fed by the Ijse, between Groenendaal and Hoeilaart. The latter has had more spelling variations through history than any I know of in Brabant.
The stimulus for this was visiting another Bouquet jubilare marked on Stevens’ 1917 map.
I’m not sure how accurate a count the dots on the map are of the number of trees involved, but Stevens was a stickler for accuracy and here he marks eight. There are three oaks of the right age still there, so I suspect the bouquet to be Quercan. Two are shown on the photo, the nearest is more massive, probably due to the proximity to the edge of the Forest.
This area is marked by stiff gradient, uncommon generally in the Forest. There are many pines and their scent hangs in the air when it is warm. Resinous.
Indeed, on the map not only are there areas marked by blue stars, Stevens’ legende for conifers, but there was also the Hôtel de la Sapinière and this is still there, although now a private residence.
