Quercus robur - English Oak

Also known as the pedunculate oak, a mature English oak  is a magnificent sight; some grow to a spread of 45 metres and are often a little taller than their spread. Oaks provide much-favoured habitat for birds, squirrels and a wide range of insects, spiders and other tiny creatures. These slow-growing trees have wide root systems and are good at resisting riverbank erosion.

The leaves of the English oak, shown here with oak catkins in early May, have no stalks, while its acorns are stalked.

The less common sessile oak has stalked leaves but its acorns have no stalks.

Oak apples are galls caused by the tiny larvae of the gall wasp, Andricus kollari. The insect lives within the oak apple and bores a hole to the outside world when it is fully mature.

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