Good roots run deep

Today, 3H visited Boston Manor Park to take part in a tree walk.

The children learnt about 12 trees - the oak, cedar of Lebanon, lime, sweet chestnut, yew, holly, giant redwood, mulberry, silver birch, horse chestnut, London plane and the alder.

If your child is in 3H, ask them if they can tell you any of the amazing facts they learnt today about trees. Here are some:

- the oak is a native tree and supports the most wildlife in Britain (300 mini-beasts)

- the Cedar of Lebanon in Boston Manor Park is almost 300 years old and grew so big because of the food waste from Boston Manor House

- the lime tree only flowers when it is 40 years old and tea can be made from the flowers!

- the chestnuts from sweet chestnut trees are roasted at Christmas

- yew trees can be used to make a medicine to cure cancer and are also poisonous

- the holly tree’s lower leaves are spiky to stop animals eating them (the higher leaves don’t have spikes)

- the giant redwood is the tallest species of tree on earth

- the mulberry tree’s leaves are eaten by silk worms

- the sap from silver birch can be tapped and drunk as ‘silver birch water’

- the horse chestnut has conkers which are poisonous for humans (their leaf shape says Stop!)

- London plane trees help pollution as their bark peels off when it gets dirty

- the alder tree’s wood gets harder in water - Venice in Italy is built on Alder tree trunks!

Thank you to the Learning & Volunteer Coordinator at Boston Manor Park!

[For more photos, please see the gallery.]