If you’ve passed this tree and only looked at one side, you’ve missed half the story.

The Coochie Crocheters have yarn bombed it from front to back, turning an ordinary island tree into a colourful piece of public art. On one side stands a detailed golfer, complete with cap, striped jumper, argyle socks, two-tone shoes and a crocheted golf club.

Walk around the tree and the scene changes completely. A vivid blue figure stretches upwards, surrounded by earthy branches and leaves, with embroidered handprints creating a lovely sense of connection, growth and community.

It’s clever, cheerful and unmistakably Coochie. Every stitch represents time, imagination and the sort of community spirit that quietly makes our island special.

So next time you pass, don’t just glance from the road. Stop, walk around the tree and admire both sides. The Coochie Crocheters have made sure the best bit is hiding around the back

In case you were wondering...

Yarn bombing is a relatively young form of street art, although its exact beginnings are a little fuzzy around the edges. One early example appeared in Oregon in 2002, when artist Shanon Schollian knitted “cosies” for tree stumps in cleared forests.

However, the worldwide movement is generally credited to Houston textile artist Magda Sayeg, who covered the door handle of her boutique with a small knitted sleeve in 2005. She then began wrapping stop-sign poles, fire hydrants and trees, eventually forming the yarn-bombing collective Knitta Please. Magda tells the story in her TED Talk.

From there, the idea spread around the world, with knitters and crocheters transforming trees, statues, benches and even buses into colourful public artworks. Trees became particularly popular because their trunks provide a ready-made canvas, allowing panels to be stitched together around them like bright woolly jackets. What began as a playful way to soften grey urban spaces has grown into a worldwide form of community art, sometimes carrying a social or environmental message, and sometimes simply making passers-by smile.