Tuesday 5 May 2020

Settle Wildflowers - Day 18 - Green - 3 (- yellow) trees

Oak, Field Maple, Purple Willow and Goat Willow.
6 Weeks ago - 8 April - Goat Willow
4 Weeks ago -  16-24 April Purple Willow
2 weeks ago - 24 April Field Maple
0.0 weeks ago - Oak



1 Oak. 
These are the male flowers . You can see the anthers.







No 2: Field Maple
Field Maple - Giggleswick's public children's playground field  24 April.

Field Maple is at the northern edge of its natural distribution around here, but many have been planted as a recommended "natural tree to plant".






Field Maple - Giggleswick's public children's playground field  24 April.





 No 3: Purple Willow: 
This grows in gravel/shingle beside the Ribble
Salix purpurea 


I can think of ten or eleven different species of willow  which grow withing exercise distance of Settle!!! Many of these hybridise. They are not easy.

It is easy to recognise a willow- They have simple leaves (i.e. not divided). The buds just have one budscale covering the whole bud.  Other trees have several bud scales covering the buds.

The two  willow here do have distinguishing features: 

In willows the leaves are arranged alternate to each other, and so therefore are the buds. But in The Purple willow, the buds and leaves often look opposite.

The flowers of Purple Willow can look purple - but I failed to catch them looking purple. So I have put them under yellow green

Plan No 4:  Goat Willow: Salix caprea 8 April




These are pictures of male trees near Stainforth. When young, before the anthers stick out they are used as "Pussy willow" in flower arrangements.
  











Goat willow has much broader leaves than other species. They are felty under the leaves. They can grow in ordinary dry soil whereas most other willows grow in wetter places.


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