Stop 1: Oak Tree

Birds prefer to collect the acorns from a native tree, like this oak. Native trees are ones that have lived in Ireland for thousands of years and provide homes for larger numbers of wildlife than non-native trees like beech and sycamore. Up to 2,300 wildlife species including 38 birds and an enormous 1,178 invertebrate species use oak trees. 257 of these species rely solely on this species of tree. Birds bury nuts for food during the cold winter months. Sometimes they forget where they have buried a nut and it grows into a new tree. You need lots of space to grow an oak but if you only have a small space, you can plant small native trees like hazel or holly.  Trees also help us by cleaning our air, giving us oxygen to breathe and keeping our city cool.

Activity:

Can you find the special seed of the oak called an acorn or its leaf on the ground as you walk towards the next stop at the entrance to the woods?