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BROCKLANDS |
Woodland Burial |
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BROCKLANDS |
Woodland Burial |
(The figures in brackets represent mature height in metres)
Oak (Sessile oak) - Quercus petraea (25)
Large, domed tree growing in woodlands or fields. Acorns produced in September,
feed mice and voles when they fall. Timber traditionally used for building and charcoal,
and its bark for leather-making due to its high tannin content. Oaks sustain a larger
variety of insects and invertebrates (up to 500 different species) than any other tree.
Yew - Taxus baccata (25)
Evergreen tree growing in woods. Bright red berries (poisonous to us but loved by birds)
produced in August. Its orange/yellow wood was used traditionally for making longbows, and is prized by wood turners.
Good dense cover for nesting birds.
Alder - Alnus glutinosa (22)
Dark green, round leaves. Clusters of cone-like catkins stay throughout winter, and are eaten by finches.
Its yellow wood was traditionally used to make clogs. Thrives near rivers or in damp woodland.
Silver Birch - Betula pendula (30)
Small pointed leaves turning golden in autumn. Attractive, white papery bark.
Traditionally coppiced in woodlands and used for making furniture, and its brushwood used to make horse jumps.
(The figures in brackets represent mature height in metres)
Blackthorn (Sloe) - Prunus spinosa (4)
Grows in hedgerows and on the edge of woodland. Has small leaves and thorns. White flowers in March turning to
black berries (sloes), loved by birds. Good for nest-building. Black Hairstreak butterfly lays its eggs on it.
Holly - Ilex aquifolium (20)
Evergreen tree with glossy green prickly leaves, growing under woodland trees. White, scented flowers in May,
turning to red berries which remain all winter - a good food source for wildlife (including the rare Holly Blue butterfly).
Its white wood was used for small carvings.
Cherry (Bird cherry) - Prunus padus (15)
Common by streams, with slender branches and green elliptical leaves turning to yellow/red in autumn.
Fragrant white flowers in May followed by black berries - good food source for birds.
Crab Apple - Malus sylvestris (10)
Growing in woods and hedgerows, it has mid green oval leaves, with clusters of white/pink flowers from April.
Yellow fruit (crab apples) in autumn, eaten by birds and insects, and traditionally used for jellies and wines.
Wood used for carving.
Hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna (14)
Common in hedgerows where it makes good nesting sites for birds. Dark, olive-green, toothed leaves, with spiny branches.
White scented flowers in May ( “ May blossom ” ) turn to red berries in September.
(The figures in brackets represent mature height in metres)
Hazel - Corylus avellana (6)
Common in hedgerows and woods, sometimes coppiced. Deciduous with catkins in spring, lasting to autumn, when nuts appear.
Wood used to make walking sticks.
Buckthorns:
Purging buckthorn - Rhamnus cathartica (6)
Mid-green oval leaves bear green/white flowers in May. Red berries turning to black in September .
Alder buckthorn - Frangula alnus (5)
This has darker glossy leaves, and bears red berries after the green flowers in May .
Both buckthorns are used by the Brimstone butterfly for laying its eggs thus providing food source for its caterpillars.
Wayfaring Tree - Viburnum lantana (6)
Grows in hedgerows and thickets, oval leaves with large white flower heads in May. Red berries turning to black are
a good food source for birds. Wood formerly used to make pipes and berries turned into ink.
Spindle Tree - Euonymus europaeus (6)
Grows in woodlands, leaves slim and pointed. Delicate pale white/green flowers in May, turning to red berries in September.
Good autumn leaf colour too.
Guelder Rose - Viburnum opulus (4)
Found in woods and hedgerows, vine-shaped leaves. White flower heads in June, with clusters of red berries in September,
remaining after leaves have fallen. Good autumn leaf colour.
(The figures in brackets represent mature height in metres)
