A couple of Yews (Taxus baccata) have appeared as saplings right by the cabin I built for my father back in the day. They were undoubtably seeded there by bird droppings. Yew berries are poisonous to humans but eaten by birds. The seeds have a hard coating which is weakened by passing through their digestive system thus aiding germination. The seeds in the berries, leaves and wood all contain toxic alkaloids where people and animals are concerned.

 Yews grow very slowly to a great size and age. The Ankerwyke Yew is one of Britain's oldest trees, thought to be somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 years old. Many churchyards have ancient Yew trees but in certain cases it is probable that the Yew was there before the church. 

 The symbolism of the Yew is likely to pre-date Christianity: its longevity speaks of eternal life whereas its toxicity is suggestive of death. Its habit of regrowth where branches touch the ground is a resurrection of sorts. And it has practical uses: the wood is very hard and was used to make longbows for example.

 So next to the cabin is not really an ideal place to manifest these qualities. I carefully dug both out teasing the roots from the soil. I replanted them at the end of the garden with the idea that they could (eventually) have the makings of a section of hedge along the low back wall. Taxus baccata is amenable to pruning into hedging. Indeed it is sold bare root by various suppliers at this time of year for that purpose.