The Birch Tree

The Birch is, perhaps, my favourite tree of all - today, at least - and contributes enormously to the woodland landscapes of Britain. It is very common throughout Europe and Asia, and tends to flourish on open ground, being one of the first trees to colonise newly cleared land; for this reason - as a pioneer species - it is often removed from preserved heathlands, in order to prevent re-forestation.

I enjoy them simply because of the way they look: the gorgeous silver bark, the drooping, rustling foliage and the wonderful, unique catkins. My mood is instantly uplifted at the sight of a stand of silver birch, and the addition of a line of trees in an urban or suburban setting can transform the bland into the beautiful. Reaching a height of around 30 metres, eventually, they can also be quite imposing, and will stand out in a way that ash or English lime simply cannot match.

In spring, look out for the first appearance of the new leaves, as they will be a very bright green in colour; after a week or two they will dull down noticeably. The flowers will now be apparent, and each tree will have both the male catkins and female upright types at the same time. Both pollination and eventual seed dispersion are by wind in the latter part of smmmer and into the autumn; the precise timing of the aforementioned events will depend very much upon latitude and elevation.

These fabulous trees play a part in the lives of more than 330 species of insect, support a number of fungi while alive and as rotting timber, and feed many birds in the autumn through their copious output of tiny seeds, so please look after them!

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