Anybody can join in, no matter what their size!

Almost everything is done - just the last bits of compost to spread and we can get home!

Part 2 - Studying the trees on the Green

We are still not very sure about what type of tree Tree 1 from last week's study is, but it is starting to develop small, dark pink blossoms from some of the buds.  Another bud is starting to show leaves opening.  I think that once these have opened a little more, we will be able to decide what type of tree we are actually studying!

Tree 2, we have decided, is an ash tree.  We can tell this from the leaves which are compound leaves.  There are about 4 to 9 leaflets to each leaf and their edges are toothed.  Before the leaves started to open, what we thought were fruits grew more prominent.  These turned out to be the ash blossom!  The ash tree is strange because it can either have all male or all female flowers on one tree, or it can have a mixture of both.  Littlesmurf thinks the blossoms might be male on this tree - they are all green and remind him of broccoli!

Another feature of the ash tree is its bark.  It develops vertical fissures as it matures which are quite distinctive.

Ash timber is very strong and was often used in the past to make bows and arrows, as well as spear shafts.  It is still used to make handles for pickaxes, shovels, spades, hammers and other tools.  In England, it is used to make cricket stumps.  It also makes very good fire-wood.

Part 3 - Making our List

We had a look through the Handbook of Nature Study and tried to make a list of trees that we might see over the next few weeks.  This proved to be rather difficult as most of the trees listed are more likely to be found in America than in Britain.  However, we adapted the task and made a list of possible trees using the index to our Field Guide of British Trees.  We added the list to the back of Littlesmurf's Nature Journal for future reference.