In season · December

What’s out on the trees in December

Bare branches, so bark and buds take over. Ash keys and young beeches’ copper leaves are still on the trees, and horse chestnut’s sticky buds are already set for spring.

The whole year on one chart · How to identify trees in winter · Spotter sheets to print

New in December

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 → London plane: seed balls. Bristly brown balls hanging on long strings.rmjb, CC BY 4.0London planeSeed balls Bristly brown balls hanging on long strings.December to MarchHow to identify it → 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 →

Buds

Horse chestnut: sticky buds. Fat reddish brown buds, sticky to the touch.Horse chestnutSticky buds Fat reddish brown buds, sticky to the touch.November to MarchHow to identify it → Hazel: green catkins. Short green catkins, closed tight on the twigs.Daniel Cahen, CC BY 4.0HazelGreen catkins Short green catkins, closed tight on the twigs.October to DecemberHow to identify it →

Held on into winter

Common beech: copper leaves. Dead copper leaves hanging on the lower branches.Common beechCopper leaves Dead copper leaves hanging on the lower branches.November to MarchHow to identify it → Common ash: winter keys. Brown papery keys hanging in bunches, rattling in wind.Common ashWinter keys Brown papery keys hanging in bunches, rattling in wind.November to MarchHow to identify it → Alder: black cones. Hard black cones, small and woody, on bare twigs.AlderBlack cones Hard black cones, small and woody, on bare twigs.November to JanuaryHow 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 → Hawthorn: thorns. Bare twigs set with sharp thorns.Михаил Орлов, CC BY 4.0HawthornThorns Bare twigs set with sharp thorns.November to MarchHow to identify it → Blackthorn: black thorns. Dark twigs with long thorns and tiny buds.BlackthornBlack thorns Dark twigs with long thorns and tiny buds.November to MarchHow to identify it → Sweet chestnut: spiral bark. Bark ridges twisting round the trunk as they climb.Nick Butcher, CC BY 4.0Sweet chestnutSpiral bark Bark ridges twisting round the trunk as they climb.November to MarchHow to identify it → Silver birch: white trunk. A white trunk with black diamond marks.Silver birchWhite trunk A white trunk with black diamond marks.November to MarchHow to identify it → Wild cherry: bud spurs. Bunches of buds on short, stubby side shoots.Wild cherryBud spurs Bunches of buds on short, stubby side shoots.November to MarchHow to identify it → Common beech: grey trunk. A long, smooth, silvery grey trunk.Rachel Godfrey, CC BY 4.0Common beechGrey trunk A long, smooth, silvery grey trunk.November to MarchHow to identify it → Rowan: silver bark. Smooth silvery grey bark, streaked with dark dashes.anguspritchard, CC BY 4.0RowanSilver bark Smooth silvery grey bark, streaked with dark dashes.November to MarchHow to identify it → Elder: warty twigs. Creamy grey twigs covered in raised warts.Lauren Ware, CC BY 4.0ElderWarty twigs Creamy grey twigs covered in raised warts.November to FebruaryHow to identify it → Sycamore: green buds. Fat green buds in matching pairs on stout twigs.SycamoreGreen buds Fat green buds in matching pairs on stout twigs.November to MarchHow to identify it → European larch: bare conifer. A conifer standing bare, with no needles on it.Tom Garner, CC BY 4.0European larchBare conifer A conifer standing bare, with no needles on it.November to MarchHow to identify it → Common whitebeam: winter buds. Neat cone-shaped buds on bare shoots.Marek Hrušovský, CC BY 4.0Common whitebeamWinter buds Neat cone-shaped buds on bare shoots.November to MarchHow 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 → Weeping willow: golden shoots. Long bare shoots hanging to the ground, golden in the sun.Fyodor Pudovikov, CC BY 4.0Weeping willowGolden shoots Long bare shoots hanging to the ground, golden in the sun.December to FebruaryHow to identify it → Common lime: twiggy base. Twiggy sprouts crowding the foot of a bare trunk.Common limeTwiggy base Twiggy sprouts crowding the foot of a bare trunk.November to MarchHow to identify it → Hornbeam: ridged trunk. A grey trunk rippled with ridges.Ewan Shilland, CC BY 4.0HornbeamRidged trunk A grey trunk rippled with ridges.November to MarchHow to identify it → Wych elm: hairy buds. Stout grey twigs covered in stiff orange hairs.hadynrmurray, CC BY 4.0Wych elmHairy buds Stout grey twigs covered in stiff orange hairs.November to FebruaryHow to identify it →

Fruit, nuts and cones

Holly: winter berries. Bright red berries in tight clusters.HollyWinter berries Bright red berries in tight clusters.September to JanuaryHow to identify it → Scots pine: ripe cones. Greyish brown cones, shut tight on the branches.Jerry Lanfear, CC BY 4.0Scots pineRipe cones Greyish brown cones, shut tight on the branches.November to MarchHow to identify it → Norway spruce: long cones. Long slender cones hanging straight down.gwynmwilliams, CC BY 4.0Norway spruceLong cones Long slender cones hanging straight down.October to FebruaryHow to identify it →

Also on the trees

On birch: witches' broom. A dense ball of twigs high in a bare birch.guywallbanks, CC BY 4.0On birchWitches' broom A dense ball of twigs high in a bare birch.November to March
On lime, poplar, apple and hawthorn: mistletoe. A green ball in a bare tree.pmcabinet, CC BY 4.0On lime, poplar, apple and hawthornMistletoe A green ball in a bare tree.November to March

Turning

Weeping willow: gold curtain. The whole hanging curtain turned gold.maxmarengo, CC BY 4.0Weeping willowGold curtain The whole hanging curtain turned gold.November to DecemberHow to identify it →

Coming in January

Hazel: lambs’ tails. Pale yellow lambs’ tails hanging loose on bare twigs.HazelLambs’ tails Pale yellow lambs’ tails hanging loose on bare twigs.January to MarchHow to identify it → Hazel: red threads. A tiny bud with a tuft of red threads.Daniel Cahen, CC BY 4.0HazelRed threads A tiny bud with a tuft of red threads.January to MarchHow to identify it →
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Photographs: Philokretes (CC BY 4.0), Daniel Seth Jackson (CC BY 4.0), rmjb (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Daniel Cahen (CC BY 4.0), Михаил Орлов (CC BY 4.0), gerardgaya (CC0), Nick Butcher (CC BY 4.0), Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), Rachel Godfrey (CC BY 4.0), anguspritchard (CC BY 4.0), Lauren Ware (CC BY 4.0), Tom Garner (CC BY 4.0), Marek Hrušovský (CC BY 4.0), Petr Harant (CC BY 4.0), Fyodor Pudovikov (CC BY 4.0), pete_gateley (CC0), Ewan Shilland (CC BY 4.0), hadynrmurray (CC BY 4.0), cjoynson (CC0), Jerry Lanfear (CC BY 4.0), gwynmwilliams (CC BY 4.0), guywallbanks (CC BY 4.0), pmcabinet (CC BY 4.0), maxmarengo (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.