SYCAMORE IN WINTER

Two ways to recognise sycamore trees in winter:

(1)  The buds are green all through winter.  So are lilac buds - but lilac is only ever a bush or small tree.  And a rarer tree, the wild service has green buds but they are arranged alternately along the shoot while sycamore buds occur in opposite pairs.

Here are some sycamore twigs in a jam jar

(2) On a mature tree, at a distance, the top edge of the crown is a curved line with all the twigs ending at the same level.  Most other trees have more of a shaggy outline.