Silver Birch
Latin Name : Betula pendula
Classic view of Silver Birch bark in the winter
The Silver Birch, commonly called ‘The Lady of the Woods’ always has a very graceful look about it. Its branch structure and long thin growth therefore accentuates that ‘lacey’ look and the easy movement of the crown, even with a light breeze.
Despite it’s delicate appearance, the Silver Birch is a ‘Pioneer tree’. So called because of its being one of the first trees to colonize a bare earth site.
Catkins displayed on thin twigs
These Catkins are shown here sitting alongside the small diamond-shaped leaves. The bark on the twigs is rough to the touch despite the delicate appearance.
The mature, knarled but still silver bark of an old Birch Tree
The silver bark shown here demonstrates the level of white (‘silver’) that the Birch brings with it, and it is a characteristic that exists throughout the Birch family, many species of which do the same.
This for instance is the Himalayan Birch – Betula utilis
You may have come across these tiny seeds without realizing what they are. Shaped like a bird in flight, they are caught by the wind, and in this case captured in a cobweb, they can be are carried like dust for miles. Hence their ability to inhabit new land. The larger seeded varieties of trees can’t do that as effectively.
