Trees worth noticing during the year
Created | Updated Jul 11, 2002
This is a work in progress
Introduction
Trees, those tall wooden leafy plants we see everyday, are often ignored as part of the natural background. If you don't know anything about them, it can be difficult to recognise them and tell them apart. To make matters worse, trees change very noticeably during the year, so it can be difficult to identify trees simply from books alone. I have found however, that as the months pass, different trees become prominent against the background, and understanding which trees are the easy to spot ones is an aid to their identification. This article is an attempt to help the amateur nature enthusiast identify the prominent trees during any given month.
January
February
March
April
Look out for small trees covered with white blossoms on the side of roads. This tree is the Blackthorn bush, a thorny bush with small oval leaves. As the summer proceeds they yield nasty tasting purple berries known as sloes.
May
A different thorny tree comes to prominence along roadways during this month. May is the time when the blossoms of the Hawthorn tree come to the fore, often making the bush appear as if it is covered in white snow. Sometimes the blossoms are pink. The Hawthorn has a palm-shaped multi-lobed leaf, and it sports oval red berries later during the year.
The white, conical shaped flowers of the Horse Chestnut are now in full splendour. Along with this, the Horse Chestnut sports a large, complex leaf system like an outstretched palm of 5-7 fingers.
Spruce trees begin to show new growth during this month. The new branches have a much lighter green colour than the older growth. It's almost as if the tree is covered in the fingers of washing gloves!
June
The Elder tree begins to stand out in June. This is because its flowers are in full bloom. They appear from a distance like large white blotches covering this hedgerow tree. The elder is a small, scraggly tree with a severely serrated bark. Leaves are a narrow elliptical shape, and smell quite acrid if crushed.
The Laburnum is also in full bloom. Although typically a garden tree, it is unmistakeable, with multiple chains of bright yellow flower hanging off each branch. It is like a mini fireworks display in your garden. Laburnums are poisonous trees, so be careful if you have one in your garden when children are around.
July
As most trees are beginning to lose their flowers and develop their fruits, it can be difficult to find distinctive trees during July. However, the Sycamore is prominent during this month, as seedlets begin to drop in small chains from beneath the leaves of female trees. Male trees do not show this characteristic. The seedlets are shaped somewhat like the propeller on a small airplane, and they spin in the air when they detach from the tree, falling to the ground at wide angles from the tree itself. The sycamore, a member of the acer, or maple family, has a large, pointed, multi-lobed leaf and it is a very common hedgerow tree. The bark is grey, but if you look carefully it also has a pinkish hue, which aids in its recognition.
