Dancersend Tree Trail

1 Follow our tree trail to find 12 tree stops. Try the 12 family activities on this page.

7 Trunks: homes 6 Seeds: flying away 5 Seeds: cones 4 Trunks: how tall?

Other living things often grow on Tree seeds need to move away from Conifer trees hide a fruit or seeds Trees grow tall to reach the trunks and branches. their parent trees in order to find inside a cone. sunlight. These larch trees need enough space and light to grow. an open light area to grow. Q Can you spot moss, lichen, Q Can you see any cones algae or fungi growing Q Can you find a seed on or under the tree? Q If you stand next to one, on these trunks? with wings? Try Pick up a cone, what can you estimate how throwing it into does it feel like? Can tall it is? Q How many different the air to make it you see any seeds that things can you see spin to the ground are secretly hidden Q Try to estimate the living on the trunks like a helicopter. inside the cone? height of a really and branches? tall tree.

0 35 70 N 8 Food for animals 3 Flowers and seeds metres Trees provide lots of food for animals In Spring the hazel catkins produce large and small. This crab apple tree pollen (plants use pollen to help make grows flowers and leaves and hides a seed). The seed of the hazel tree is its seeds inside tasty fruit. 6 called the hazel nut – a favourite food Q Can you spot any signs of lots of small mammals. where creatures have Q Can you spot any been eating flowers, catkins or nuts growing leaves or fruit? Clue: on the hazel? Or look for holes, nibbles 5 perhaps see some hazel or even poo! nuts on the ground? 4 9 Trunks: bark 2 Root and branch

Different trees have different types 7 Trees have roots that grow under of bark. Bark can be smooth, rough the ground to take in water and or even knobbly! minerals. The roots grow out about as far as the Look at the birch tree. Q branches overhead. Can you describe its bark? Q Look out for bark to feel as you Q Roots support the continue on your walk. tree as it grows. Make rubbings of Can you spot any roots different bark with a on the surface? crayon and paper.

8 10 Leaves: catching the light 1 Trunks: how old?

Leaves help the tree to make its own 12 Trees grow a new layer of wood every food. They capture energy from the year. When a tree is cut down, each sun to help turn water and carbon 9 layer can be seen as a ring in the trunk. dioxide into sugar and oxygen. 11 Q Can you spot the rings on the trunk? Look around at the 10 Q What date was the trees nearby. How Q tree cut down? many different leaf shapes and Q How old was sizes can you find? the tree when it was cut?

11 Deadwood: a log pile 12 Seeds: from small acorns… 3 Steep slope with steps A log pile – made from fallen branches Oak trees hide their seeds inside and dead trunks – provides a home acorns for protection. But animals for many creatures including spiders, work hard to get inside. woodlice, beetles or even newts. Q Can you find any acorns on Q Look closely in-between the the ground that have been 2 logs nearby for any signs of nibbled by mice or something living there. P squirrels? 1 Why not make a Q Can you spot a young Start and log-pile in your Q oak tree growing close finish of trail garden or school field? to the ground? Pedestrian gate

Working in partnership College Lake Nature Reserve and Environmental Education Centre to manage woodland www.bbowt.org.uk Upper Icknield Way, Bulbourne, Tring, HP23 5QG. at Dancersend. Tel: 01442 826774