I'd never heard of a Turkey Oak until Mrs F told us what the big tree was between the house and the workshop. We had a Sessile Oak at the smallholding and plenty of English Oaks across the road but Turkey Oak?
In the summer Col spent a lot of time sitting under the tree in the shade.
The acorns are bigger than English Oak and the acorn cups are covered in soft bristles.
I had a look in the only 3 tree books that I possess, to see what I could find about Turkey Oaks.
Nothing mentioned in two but the little DK book said..........
The hairy shoots of this large,vigorous deciduous tree are tipped with leaf buds surrounded by characteristic long whisker-like stipules. It's alternate leaves are variable in shape, toothed and deeply lobed, on stalks to 2cm long. Leaves are dark green above, slightly rough and blue green underneath and hairy, at least when young.The flowers are borne in catkins, the males yellow green and drooping, to 6cm long, the females inconspicuous and borne separately.
It occurs naturally in woodland in south and central Europe and has been widely planted elsewhere.
So now I know! and now I also know that there are another 15 different sorts of oak trees in Europe apart from English, Sessile and Turkey.
Clocks back tonight - hate it - takes my body clock days to adjust and I moan a lot too!
Back Monday
Sue
Clocks back tonight - hate it - takes my body clock days to adjust and I moan a lot too!
Back Monday
Sue
These foreign invaders can be harmful to our native trees. Beware of its good looks. I think it should be burnt at the stake personally.
ReplyDeleteHarsh Rachel, very Harsh!
DeleteI have never heard of a Turkey Oak either, that was interesting to learn. I grew up with an English Oak tree in the garden, beautiful trees
ReplyDeleteJulie xxxx
The first time I heard of Turkey oaks, Sue, was (many years ago now) when we visited the garden at www.avenuecottage.com here in Devon. This privately owned garden (the cottage is now a B&B) and it used to be part of the larger Sharpham Estate on the banks of the River Dart here in South Devon. The approach to Avenue Cottage is through an avenue of Turkey oats, and magnificent they are, too. Close by is Sharpham vineyard, it's a truly beautiful setting.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of it but it is a good looking tree.
ReplyDeleteWho knew there were so many Oaks!
ReplyDeleteWhen looking up the Oak trees in our street a couple of years ago - because we had never seen acorns on them, I discovered that there were many varieties of Oaks. Ours are Red Oaks and the reason they don't produce acorns is because they don't get enough dark due to being planted next to street lamps!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, always learning something new!
ReplyDeleteOh I do agree with you about the clocks, I always have a migraine and my body does not know what time it is so sleeping and waking times get all muddled up.
ReplyDeleteApparently we have Bur Oaks here. I can't say that I had noticed them but when told where they are in the city we've driven by them many times, just not realizing they were Oaks!
ReplyDeleteI hadn’t heard to Turkey Oaks, how interesting. As for the clocks, I’m glad they’re going back not forward xx
ReplyDeleteYour acorns look like the burr oak here is Missouri.... I love the caps and so do the squirrels! No I don't eat them, but the squirrels do when the caps are still green!!
ReplyDeletePS Sue, I hate this faffing with the clocks twice a year, too, and feel out of sorts for a long time afterwards. Indeed, I wage a one-woman-war against it and don't change the time on my mobile (it's so old it doesn't do it automatically) ... I simply deduct an hour from what it says until next March! Just think, twice a year, all the clocks in all the homes in the whole country need to he changed - this is literally a WASTE OF TIME. It needs to stop. Now.
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
What a beautiful tree! Whenever I go for a walk in the woods I always look at the trees and wonder what they have witnessed and lived through. If only they could talk!
ReplyDeleteI hate the back and forth of clocks. It always messes me up Skyping and talking with Mum as the clocks in England and the US don't change at the same time. In the US they don't go back until next weekend and, if I remember rightly, there were a few weeks before the Spring changes. Sigh.
I love oaks and wish we had one in our yard. There just isn't room for such a big tree.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
You've got me noticing oaks more now, and I spotted something yesterday that I've never noticed before - a tree with characteristic oak leaves, but the overall shape of the tree was more like a poplar, or a Christmas tree, though not particularly tall.
ReplyDeleteHas anybody any ideas what it might be?
(PS Sue - I don't know if you found the letter I emailed?)
Thank you everyone for all the interesting comments
ReplyDelete