In season · April

What’s out on the trees in April

Cherry blossom and fresh green leaves: beech, birch and hawthorn come into leaf, and horse chestnut opens its sticky buds.

The whole year on one chart · Spotter sheets to print

New in April

Horse chestnut: drooping leaves. Big leaves out of the bud already, hanging limp.valbentley, CC BY 4.0Horse chestnutDrooping leaves Big leaves out of the bud already, hanging limp.AprilHow to identify it → Horse chestnut: candles. White flower spikes standing upright above the leaves.rmjb, CC BY 4.0Horse chestnutCandles White flower spikes standing upright above the leaves.April to MayHow to identify it → English oak: tassels. Yellow tassels hanging loose among small new leaves.English oakTassels Yellow tassels hanging loose among small new leaves.April to MayHow to identify it → Sweet chestnut: unrolling leaves. Long narrow new leaves with sharp teeth.chrisdt, CC BY 4.0Sweet chestnutUnrolling leaves Long narrow new leaves with sharp teeth.April to MayHow to identify it → Field maple: pink leaves. Small new leaves with a pink tint.Joss Carr, CC BY 4.0Field maplePink leaves Small new leaves with a pink tint.April to MayHow to identify it → Silver birch: long catkins. Long yellow catkins hanging from the twigs.Daniel Greenwood, CC BY 4.0Silver birchLong catkins Long yellow catkins hanging from the twigs.April to MayHow to identify it → Silver birch: green haze. A thin green haze of small new leaves.Silver birchGreen haze A thin green haze of small new leaves.April to MayHow to identify it → Wild cherry: blossom. White flowers in loose bunches on long stalks.David Pereira, CC BY 4.0Wild cherryBlossom White flowers in loose bunches on long stalks.April to MayHow to identify it → Hazel: hairy leaves. Soft new leaves, many of them reddish.HazelHairy leaves Soft new leaves, many of them reddish.AprilHow to identify it → Common beech: silky leaves. New leaves thin enough for light to come through.Aaron Wallace, CC BY 4.0Common beechSilky leaves New leaves thin enough for light to come through.April to MayHow to identify it → Sycamore: flower tails. Narrow greenish yellow tails hanging among the leaves.Liam Maguire, CC BY 4.0SycamoreFlower tails Narrow greenish yellow tails hanging among the leaves.April to MayHow to identify it → Common ash: purple tufts. Dense dark purple tufts along bare twigs.Drepanostoma, CC BY 4.0Common ashPurple tufts Dense dark purple tufts along bare twigs.AprilHow to identify it → Holly: white flowers. Small white four-petalled flowers where the leaves join.HollyWhite flowers Small white four-petalled flowers where the leaves join.April to MayHow to identify it → Holly: soft new leaves. Pale, soft new leaves at the ends of the branches.Jerry Lanfear, CC BY 4.0HollySoft new leaves Pale, soft new leaves at the ends of the branches.April to MayHow to identify it → Yew: fresh needles. Bright new tips against needles that are almost black.YewFresh needles Bright new tips against needles that are almost black.April to MayHow to identify it → Alder: sticky leaves. Round new leaves, sticky to the touch.AlderSticky leaves Round new leaves, sticky to the touch.April to MayHow to identify it → London plane: woolly leaves. New leaves over a trunk flaking in pale plates.London planeWoolly leaves New leaves over a trunk flaking in pale plates.April to MayHow to identify it → Scots pine: pollen cones. Clusters of small yellow cones on the new shoots.Anne Thomson, CC BY 4.0Scots pinePollen cones Clusters of small yellow cones on the new shoots.April to JuneHow to identify it → Common whitebeam: silver leaves. The whole tree looks white as the leaves open.Daniel Cahen, CC BY 4.0Common whitebeamSilver leaves The whole tree looks white as the leaves open.AprilHow to identify it → Common lime: pale hearts. Pale heart-shaped leaves on red shoots.Common limePale hearts Pale heart-shaped leaves on red shoots.April to MayHow to identify it → Hornbeam: leafy catkins. Yellow catkins hanging with the new leaves, not before them.HornbeamLeafy catkins Yellow catkins hanging with the new leaves, not before them.April to MayHow to identify it → Wych elm: seed discs. Pale papery discs in clusters, seed in the middle.Wych elmSeed discs Pale papery discs in clusters, seed in the middle.April to MayHow to identify it →

Flowers and catkins

Blackthorn: white on black. White flowers on dark twigs, before any leaves.BlackthornWhite on black White flowers on dark twigs, before any leaves.March to AprilHow to identify it → European larch: ruby cones. Small, upright, ruby-red cones on the twigs.Hazza, CC BY 4.0European larchRuby cones Small, upright, ruby-red cones on the twigs.March to AprilHow to identify it → Weeping willow: slim catkins. Slim catkins lying close along the hanging shoots.Weeping willowSlim catkins Slim catkins lying close along the hanging shoots.March to AprilHow to identify it →

New leaves

Hawthorn: first green. Small pale leaves opening on thorny twigs.Jose Gutierrez Higa, CC BY 4.0HawthornFirst green Small pale leaves opening on thorny twigs.March to AprilHow to identify it → European larch: green tufts. Soft new needles opening in tufts.Don Loarie, CC BY 4.0European larchGreen tufts Soft new needles opening in tufts.March to MayHow to identify it →

Buds

Common beech: buds. Long pointed copper buds standing out from the twig.Philokretes, CC BY 4.0Common beechBuds Long pointed copper buds standing out from the twig.December to AprilHow to identify it → Common ash: black buds. Sooty black buds in pairs on grey twigs.Daniel Seth Jackson, CC BY 4.0Common ashBlack buds Sooty black buds in pairs on grey twigs.December to AprilHow to identify it →

Held on into winter

Hornbeam: brown leaves. Dry brown leaves still on the branches in winter.HornbeamBrown leaves Dry brown leaves still on the branches in winter.December to AprilHow to identify it →

Bare branches

English oak: bare frame. A broad crooked dome on heavy twisting limbs.Daniel Cahen, CC BY 4.0English oakBare frame A broad crooked dome on heavy twisting limbs.December to AprilHow to identify it → Aspen: pale trunks. Slender pale trunks, standing in a group.Petr Harant, CC BY 4.0AspenPale trunks Slender pale trunks, standing in a group.December to AprilHow to identify it →

Coming in May

Hawthorn: may blossom. Flat white heads with red-tipped threads, over green leaves.HawthornMay blossom Flat white heads with red-tipped threads, over green leaves.MayHow to identify it → Wild cherry: oval leaves. Oval leaves with small red bumps at the top of the stalk.Wild cherryOval leaves Oval leaves with small red bumps at the top of the stalk.May to AugustHow to identify it → Hazel: round leaves. Round, soft leaves held out flat.HazelRound leaves Round, soft leaves held out flat.May to SeptemberHow to identify it → Rowan: cream heads. Big flat heads of small cream flowers.Barry Walter, CC BY 4.0RowanCream heads Big flat heads of small cream flowers.May to JuneHow to identify it → Elder: elderflower. Flat cream plates of tiny flowers, all open together.kitbeard, CC BY 4.0ElderElderflower Flat cream plates of tiny flowers, all open together.May to JuneHow to identify it → Alder: notched tips. Dark round leaves that look bitten off at the tip.AlderNotched tips Dark round leaves that look bitten off at the tip.May to AugustHow to identify it → European larch: needles. Soft needles in tufts, bright green all over.European larchNeedles Soft needles in tufts, bright green all over.May to SeptemberHow to identify it → Common whitebeam: flat flowers. Flat heads of white flowers over dark green leaves.Common whitebeamFlat flowers Flat heads of white flowers over dark green leaves.May to JuneHow to identify it → Aspen: trembling leaf. Round leaves shivering in the faintest breeze.AspenTrembling leaf Round leaves shivering in the faintest breeze.May to SeptemberHow to identify it → Weeping willow: narrow leaves. Long narrow leaves on hanging shoots.machaut2, CC BY 4.0Weeping willowNarrow leaves Long narrow leaves on hanging shoots.May to AugustHow to identify it → Hornbeam: creased leaves. Neat leaves with deep veins and toothed edges.Lauren Ware, CC BY 4.0HornbeamCreased leaves Neat leaves with deep veins and toothed edges.May to SeptemberHow to identify it → Norway spruce: red cones. Small crimson cones standing upright on the branches.Norway spruceRed cones Small crimson cones standing upright on the branches.MayHow to identify it → Norway spruce: bright tips. Light green new tips against dark old needles.Alex Ashworth-Smith, CC BY 4.0Norway spruceBright tips Light green new tips against dark old needles.May to JuneHow to identify it →
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Photographs: valbentley (CC BY 4.0), rmjb (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), chrisdt (CC BY 4.0), Joss Carr (CC BY 4.0), Daniel Greenwood (CC BY 4.0), David Pereira (CC BY 4.0), Aaron Wallace (CC BY 4.0), Liam Maguire (CC BY 4.0), Drepanostoma (CC BY 4.0), peter_reynolds (CC0), Jerry Lanfear (CC BY 4.0), Anne Thomson (CC BY 4.0), Daniel Cahen (CC BY 4.0), cjoynson (CC0), empressmoth (CC0), Hazza (CC BY 4.0), arachnoto (CC0), Jose Gutierrez Higa (CC BY 4.0), Don Loarie (CC BY 4.0), Philokretes (CC BY 4.0), Daniel Seth Jackson (CC BY 4.0), Petr Harant (CC BY 4.0), jmark (CC0), Barry Walter (CC BY 4.0), kitbeard (CC BY 4.0), parasksb (CC0), machaut2 (CC BY 4.0), Lauren Ware (CC BY 4.0), Alex Ashworth-Smith (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.