English Oak

The English Oak arguably has one of the most distinctive leaves of all our native trees. On average, the leaves will be 10cm long and feature the unique, rounded lobes regularly used to identify the tree species. Try counting the lobes on each side; the leaves should be 4-6 lobes deep, but you may find even more!

Alongside their leaf burst in mid-May, you might find leaves are nestled among long yellow catkins that the tree uses to disperse pollen. Later in the season, you could also spot young, bright green acorns starting to sprout. 

Hazel

If you come by a hazel tree after a leaf burst in late April, you’ll find rounded leaves that are doubly toothed and placed alternatively along twigs. If you were to feel the leaves, they would be soft to the touch, almost furry. That’s thanks to the downy hairs on the underside of the leaf, which give it a unique texture.

To spot a hazel before its leaf burst, you should still find catkins through early spring. Its catkins are often called ‘lamb’s tails’ due to the small white blossoms. 

Silver Birch

While a silver birch is easy to identify thanks to its silvery-white bark, it can often be confused with the downy birch, which is where its leaves come in. New shoots will be hairless on a silver birch, unlike the fluffy buds on a downy birch.

Look for triangular- to diamond-shaped leaves with saw-toothed edges and pointy tips. After their leaf burst, leaves will be a vivid green, and like its counterparts, may also feature catkins in the spring. 

Wild Service Tree

The leaves of a wild service tree (AKA chequers trees after their fruits) might look like those from a maple, but their leaves will be considerably smaller. The broad, pinnately lobed leaves will be dark green and shiny underneath, with 3-4 unequal jagged lobes.

If you catch a wild service tree before its leaf burst, you might spot leaf buds that look a lot like peas; small, rounded and green. Like most fruit trees, wild service trees will offer up stunning blossom displays in the spring, this time through small white flowers. 

Horse Chestnut

You won’t see the spiky conker shells of a horse chestnut tree in spring, but you will notice its incredibly unique leaves. With 5-7 pointed, toothed leaflets spreading from a central stem, the leaves of a horse chestnut are often compared to the shape of a hand. Their bright green colour is hard to miss, but they are subject to horse chestnut leaf blotch, which results in brown patches all over the leaves. 

Ash

Ash leaves are unique in that they grow oval leaflets from one central stem. 3-6 pairs of leaves grow up the stem, with one leaf crowning it at the end, and they can grow over 40cm long this way. Before they burst into bright green leaves, the buds are black and velvety, unlike many other leaf buds.

Once in leaf, you might notice that the leaves of an ash tree move. Like some flowers, ash leaves move in the direction of the sunlight; sometimes, the entire mass of leaves on one tree will be facing the same way! 

Beech

The young leaves of a beech tree, those that you are likely to see in spring, are lime green and feature wavy edges, dusted with hair. If you look closely at the oval-shaped leaves, you’ll see distinctive diagonal banding patterns created by the veins which come out from the central line.

The hair around the edge of the leaf falls away, and the leaves get darker as it gets older. If you spot a beech tree in late spring, you might notice flowers growing alongside the leaves in light brown tassel formations. 

Spot a Tree in Your City

Whether you bimble around blossoms or get your magnifying glasses out to take a closer look at the magnificent leaves growing on these trees, spring is the perfect time to appreciate greenery returning to our neighbourhoods.

At Trees for Cities, we aim to ensure everyone has access to green spaces to appreciate this magical seasonal change each and every year. With your help, we can ensure every person living in the UK has the opportunity to enjoy nature at its most wondrous.