In season · February

What’s out on the trees in February

Hazel and alder catkins hang in the hedges and the buds are fattening. A good month to learn a bare tree by its twigs, before the leaves hide them.

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

New in February

Elder: first leaf. New leaves out while the hedge is still bare.ElderFirst leaf New leaves out while the hedge is still bare.February to MarchHow to identify it → Yew: pollen cones. Tiny round pollen cones in rows under the shoots.YewPollen cones Tiny round pollen cones in rows under the shoots.February to MarchHow to identify it → Alder: purple catkins. Purplish catkins lengthening beside hard black cones.AlderPurple catkins Purplish catkins lengthening beside hard black cones.February to MarchHow to identify it → Aspen: furry catkins. Thick grey furry catkins hanging on bare twigs.AspenFurry catkins Thick grey furry catkins hanging on bare twigs.February to MarchHow to identify it → Wych elm: red flowers. Tiny reddish purple flowers packed along bare twigs.Zeke Marshall, CC BY 4.0Wych elmRed flowers Tiny reddish purple flowers packed along bare twigs.February to MarchHow to identify it →

Flowers and catkins

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 →

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 → 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

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 → 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 →

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

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

Coming in March

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 → 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 → 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 → 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 →
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Photographs: steve_mcwilliam (CC0), twig777 (CC0), empressmoth (CC0), Zeke Marshall (CC BY 4.0), cjoynson (CC0), Daniel Cahen (CC BY 4.0), Philokretes (CC BY 4.0), Daniel Seth Jackson (CC BY 4.0), rmjb (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), Jerry Lanfear (CC BY 4.0), gwynmwilliams (CC BY 4.0), guywallbanks (CC BY 4.0), pmcabinet (CC BY 4.0), Jose Gutierrez Higa (CC BY 4.0), Hazza (CC BY 4.0), Don Loarie (CC BY 4.0), arachnoto (CC0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.