This week is National Tree Week, organised by The Tree Council as the UK's largest celebration of trees. Each year, the country's conservation sector, volunteer groups and tree-lovers come together to plant thousands of trees to mark the start of the tree planting season.
Trees provide shelter, food and habitat for a huge range of species at all times of year, from blossom for pollinators in spring, to shade and tasty leaves in summer, to fruits in autumn. At this time of year, trees might even provide a hibernation site, for example for bats. Trees are vital to bats in many ways, and in winter certain species hibernate in hollow trunks.
The mighty oak tree is the most striking example of the rich habitat trees provide - an amazing 2300 species are supported by oak trees, including mammals, birds and an extraordinary 1178 invertebrate species! An oak tree can be a perfect nesting spot for a pied flycatcher, redstart or marsh tit, which all use the nooks and crevices in the tree bark. Or it can provide the perfect feast for the caterpillars of purple hairstreak butterflies, which love eating the flowers and leaf buds of English oak. Or in autumn, rich leaf mould formed from decaying leaves under the oak tree can support invertebrates such as the stag beetle, and fungi, like the oakbug milkcap, whilst acorns are a vital food source for squirrels, mice, badgers and jays. In winter, a ladybird might hibernate amongst fallen oak leaves. The oak really is a species with so much to offer!
Having a tree in the garden is one of the very best ways of attracting wildlife to our gardens. While most of us won't have space in our gardens for an oak tree, even smaller trees can attract and support a rich diversity of wildlife. Take as just one example the crab apple tree. Growing to a maximum of 7-9m high, this tree can be kept smaller through pruning so is ideal for smaller gardens. The small fruit produced in autumn are much loved by blackbirds, thrushes, mice, voles and even badgers. The flowers are a good source of early pollen and nectar for insects, particularly bees. Crab apple trees support about 93 different species of insect in the UK, which in turn provide food for birds.
Common blackbird Turdus merula, adult pair feeding on crab apples
Paul Sawer (rspb-images.com)
Tree planting season runs from November til March, so this winter, why not consider planting a tree in your garden? Whatever species of tree you choose, there will be many species of mammals, birds and insects that will thank you for many, many years to come!