Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees...

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Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses!

Transcript of Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees...

Page 1: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Magical Tree Trail!

Let's adventure through the trees and learn

about their mysterious folklore and magical

uses!

Page 2: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Scots Pine

My needles

are bluish-

green

My bark is

orangey and

splits into small

‘plates’ when I

am older

I have small pine

cones which are

green when they

first come out, and

then turn to brown

Page 3: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

-Scots Pine is the most widely distributed conifer in the world

-If you look closely at my bark you may see my platelets which

make me look like a jigsaw puzzle! These pieces of my bark are

very important as they provide habitat and hiding places for lots of

different creatures such as spiders and insects, as well as mosses and

lichens!

-Imagine that a tiny Scots Pine seed, no bigger than your finger nail

and weighing about the same as a flea, is able to produce a majestic

old granny pine many million times heavier! Magic!

Folklore Facts and Uses:

-In the Highlands the Scots Pine tree was often used as a marker of a

burial site of warriors, heroes and chieftains.

-The resin and needles can be used to help with breathing problems

and has antiseptic properties.

Page 4: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Elder

My leaves

have jaggy

edges, so

they are not

smooth

My bark is very

ridged and the

thickness of my

trunk is usually

quite small

My buds are

purplish in colour

and grow on the

end of a stem

Page 5: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

-The Elder tree produces clumps of white sweet-smelling flowers in

Summer, which then change to form small, purplish-black

elderberries in Autumn.

- All parts of the plant (except for the flowers and ripe berries) are

poisonous if eaten.

Folklore Facts and Uses:

-One of the superstitions surrounding Elder was that if the wood of

Elder was burnt the Devil was said to appear!

-The elderflowers can be used to make cordial and champagne,

whilst the berries can be made into jams, jellies and syrups.

- The leaves have a fairly pungent smell (give them a whiff!) and

were once used to deter flies from livestock.

Page 6: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Willow

My leaves

are long and

thin, often

with jaggy

edges

My bark is

ridged when I am

older

My buds are

green in colour

and they only

have one scale to

protect the leaves

inside.

Page 7: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

-The Willow tree has very strong roots which spread widely and are

very good at findingwater.

-Willow leaves are eaten by the larvae of moths and butterflies, as

well as lots of different species of aphid. Ants will often be found

roaming on the trees, in search of the sticky honeydew food that

aphids produce.

Folklore Facts and Uses:

-180 years ago, scientists discovered that there was a special

chemical in the bark of Willow trees which could be used to treat

pain. This led to the development of aspirin!

-Since the branches of Willow trees are so bendy, they are perfect to

be used for creative crafts such as weaving baskets and making

fences. Willow trees have also been planted in school playground to

create living dens and tunnels!

Page 8: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Birch

My leaves are

almost triangular

in shape and

have very jaggy

edges.

My bark is white.

Look out for my

breathing pores,

which are the

horizontal lines on

my trunk. They help

me to breathe!

My buds are

green with a tinge

of red. Some of

my twigs have

little white spots

on them if you

look closer!

Page 9: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

- Birch trees form a special relationship with the red and white

mushroom called fly agaric, so can keep an eye out in Autumn and

you might see some nearby! Be careful though – they are poisonous

mushrooms!

-These trees are very important to ecosystems as they are often the

first trees to inhabit a new area and have deep roots which can reach

down into the earth to bring nutrients up to the surface when the tree

dies.

Folklore Facts and Uses:

-In Celtic mythology the Birch tree was a symbol of purification and

renewal.

-The sap of the Birch tree can be ‘tapped’ and extracted from the tree

in Spring. It can then be fermented and used to make cordial or

syrup.

Page 10: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Rowan

My leaf stem is made

up of many smaller

jaggy leaflets which

are opposite each

other, and with one

leaf at the end.

My greyish-brown

bark is smooth and

shiny when wet. I

also have breathing

pores like the Birch

trees!

My buds are purplish

in colour and have a

grey fur. They grow

on the end of my

stem and they also

look like they have

scales!

Page 11: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

-The strong sweet scent of the white flowers of the Rowan tree

attracts many pollinators such as bees, flies and beetles!

- The Rowan tree depends on birds to spread its seed as they eat the

Rowan berries and then carry the seed in their droppings, so it can

often be found growing in unusual places such as in the forks of

other trees!

Folklore Facts and Uses:

-The Rowan tree was known as a tree which protects against

witchcraft and enchantments. People would plant a rowan tree at the

entrance to their land for protection.

-The bark and berries were used by Druids to dye their clothing

black.

Page 12: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Beech

My leaves are oval

in shape and have a

wavy edge. They

have hairs on them

when they are

young, but these

are lost as they get

older.

My bark is very

smooth and grey.

I often have

crease marks or

wrinkles where

my branches join

the main trunk.

My buds are

orangey- brown

and narrow. They

are long and have

distinct scales on

them which have

a criss-cross

pattern.

Page 13: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

-The Beech tree has a very dense canopy of leaves, which means that

not much light can get to the forest floor, so not many other plants

can grow beneath a Beech tree.

Folklore Facts and Uses:

-The nuts of a Beech tree can be used to make a drink that tastes like

coffee!

-In Celtic tree mythology, it is known as the 'tree of wishes'. A fallen

beech branch was known as an invitation from the wishing fairies.

People would write on the branch and push the stick into the earth

where the wish would be taken to the underworld for the Fairy

Queen to consider.

Page 14: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Oak

My leaves are

lobed and

grow quite big.

My bark is ridged

and grey. There are

often lots of

lichens growing on

my trunk.

My buds are rusty

brown occur in

clusters with

many buds

together. My buds

have overlapping

scales.

Page 15: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

-In the UK, the Oak tree provides a habitat for more organisms than

any other tree!

- One particular fungus called Oak Mazegill (pictured below) grows

on dead oak stumps and branches and is the only home for the Rove

Beetle (pictured below)

Oak Mazegill Rove Beetle

Folklore Facts and Uses:

-The Great Oak is known as the ‘King of Trees’ because of its

extraordinary height and huge size.

-Of all the trees in the woodlands in the UK, the Oak tree is the one

that most attracts lightening!

Page 16: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Holly

My leaves have

spiky edges and are

shiny in the light.

They are dark

green on top, but

paler underneath.

They are visible all

year round.

My bark is stripy

green and grey

when I am

young, but

becomes grey

and ridged when

I am older.

My buds are dark

red in colour

Page 17: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

-The Holly tree does not form many special relationships with fungi,

although there is one, called the Holly Parachute fungus, which

grows on dead holly leaves – helping to break down the tough

leaves. If you look closely at the picture below you will see tiny hairs

on the top of the fungus!

Folklore Facts and Uses:

-The spines on the holly leaves can act as miniature lightning

conductors, so they can protect the tree and other objects nearby.

Page 18: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Sycamore

My leaves are

large (about the

size of an adults

hand!) and have

five lobes. They

feel quite like

leather.

My bark is smooth

and grey when I am

young, but becomes

rougher as I get

older, n splits into

‘plates’.

My big buds are

opposite each other and

occur together in

clusters. They look a

lot like snake skin!

Page 19: Magical Tree Trail! - The Ecology Centre · Magical Tree Trail! Let's adventure through the trees and learn about their mysterious folklore and magical uses! Scots Pine My needles

Ecological Facts:

- One Sycamore tree can be home to 2.25 million aphids! (pictured

below)

Folklore Facts and Uses:

- The seeds of the Sycamore tree are often called 'Helicopters', as

they have two wings that help them to spin around in the air – just

like a Helicopter! Their shape helps them to fly in the air.