The Oak Tree Experiment – Update

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Christine Lucas

Acorns

Two years ago I wrote about collecting acorns on my walk to work and then returning home and planting them in the hope they would grow into oak trees. You can read that post here.

Since writing that first post, I had given up hope and forgotten about the little acorns I had planted. Notice my surprise whilst releasing the second batch of painted lady butterflies from Insect Lore, I glanced into a pot and noticed what looked to me like oak leaves. I asked David for confirmation and he agreed.

Baby Oak Tree

I was stunned and overjoyed. We have our very own little oak tree! It may have taken two years but we have success!

Have you successfully grew a tree from its seed?

Thanks for reading,

Christine x

30 Days Wild 2019 – Day Twenty-five.

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Christine Lucas

twt-30-days-wild_countdown_25 Day 25: Today’s 30 Days Wild is all about trees.

I find it difficult to ID trees, so I decided to make an attempt at some identification. I pass lots of trees on my route to work, so collected some leaves as I walked.

If you think I may have got these wrong please correct me. Thanks.

Leaves

1. Oak: I was ok identifying this native leaf but then I read that there are two types of oak in the UK, English oak and sessile. Possibly this is a sessile oak which prefers the north? Oak trees can grow up to 40m in height and won’t produce acorns until 40 years of age!
2. Ash: I think this is a compound ash leaf but not 100%. They can live up to 400 years, longer if coppiced.
3. Sycamore: Again not 100% on this. It could be a maple or guelder rose. Another long lived tree. Fruits are known as samaras, or helicopters in Liverpool. Do you know them by a different name?
4. Hawthorn: I thought I would finish on an easy one, as I’ve just ordered one from The Woodland Trust. Hawthorns are native and in spring their leaves are edible. They can grow to 15m but are usually used as hedgerows.

These were just a few of the leaves I collected. I think a couple more were from a hazel and silver birch but not certain. I really need to buy a book on tree identification. If you have any suggestions let me know.

What’s your favourite tree?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine x

The Oak Tree Experiment.

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Christine Lucas

On my walk to work I pass a row of oak trees. At this time of year, I noticed they had dropped lots of acorns on the ground which crunched underfoot. This got me thinking. Perhaps I could rescue a couple and experiment to see if I could grow one of them? So, I gathered a few on my recent walk and took three decent looking acorns home.

Acorns

Planting acorns

After doing some research I noted that acorns should be brown when planting. Mine were green, so I don’t know whether they will grow or not. Either way, I found a spare pot in which to plant the acorns. I made three small holes and planted the acorns before covering over with soil. I sprinkled some water and have left the pot in a sunny area. I shall update you on the progress of these little acorns and see if any of them will grow.

Have you been successful in growing a tree from seed?

Thanks for reading,

Christine x

A Walk in the Park

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Christine Lucas

David and I took Riley on an hour long walk around Liverpool’s Calderstones Park. The park is named after six neolithic stones that were once part of a megalithic tomb. You can still see some of the spiraled designs etched by ancient hands on the sandstone.

Calderstones

Our 2.4 mile walk also passed the Allerton Oak, which is an estimated 1,000 year old oak tree!

Allerton Oak

During the course of the walk, David and I enjoyed looking for signs of spring, while Riley had a much needed run! I’ll finish with a gallery of pictures for you to enjoy.