Thursday 29 December 2011

Oaks alive and dead

This is our largest oak tree at Filnore Woods.  It used to have a partner standing right alongside.  That is why it has so few branches on one side.  The other oak tree took all the light, so branches couldn't grow.  But several years ago the other oak fell and we have left it there to be a home for fungi and for beetle larvae. 

When it is alive, an oak tree can support more different forms of creature than any other tree in Britain - more than 280 species of insect, leave alone spiders, birds, bats and other small mammals.  And even when it is dead it can still provide food and shelter to specially adapted creatures.

More about oak in the next post.

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