This year National Tree Week is running from 26th November to 4th December. To celebrate we are planting trees with local community groups and have given away 630 trees to be planted and cared for in their first couple of years until they are established.
National Tree Week is an annual celebration in the UK where community groups, people in conservation, and individuals come together to plant trees to mark the start of the tree planting season.
Native Species
The trees we use are a mix of native species, chosen as they provide food and shelter for insects and wildlife:
- Hawthorn – the flowers provide food for insects, caterpillars, bees, and dormice. The haws are eaten by migratory birds as well as small mammals
- Alder – provides food for caterpillars and the catkins are used as a nectar source by bees. Seeds are eaten by birds such as siskin, redpoll and goldfinch. Alders are water lovers so we have donated 200 trees to the Friends of the River Tyne to be planted along the banks of the Tyne in Haddington to help prevent soil erosion.
- Silver Birch – have a light, open canopy which allows grasses, mosses, bluebells, and violets to grow below. The leaves are used as a food source for aphids and caterpillars, and the seeds are eaten by siskins, greenfinch, and redpolls.
- Oak – support more life than any other native species in the UK. Caterpillars feed on the flowers and leaf buds, squirrels, badgers and deer feed on acorns in the autumn, and the fallen leaves break down to a rich leaf mould that supports many invertebrates and fungi.
- Hazel – caterpillars eat the leaves of hazel trees and the hazelnuts are a food source for many species of birds, small mammals and people.
- Rowan – the flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees and other insects, while caterpillars feed on the leaves. The berries are an important food source for many birds including blackbirds, thrush, fieldfare, and redwing.
These trees are part of our One Planet Pledge where we plant a tree for every bag of firewood sold. If you know of any groups that would be interested in some free trees please contact kate@caledonianhorticulture.co.uk