In season · July

What’s out on the trees in July

Lime trees flower and scent the streets, and the summer’s fruit starts to show: green conkers in their spiny cases, keys on the maples, green acorns on the oaks and green berries on the holly.

The whole year on one chart · Spotter sheets to print

New in July

Horse chestnut: green cases. Green spiny cases hanging from the branches.oliverc29, CC BY 4.0Horse chestnutGreen cases Green spiny cases hanging from the branches.July to SeptemberHow to identify it → English oak: green acorns. Small pale green acorns on long stalks.Wendy Herniman, CC BY 4.0English oakGreen acorns Small pale green acorns on long stalks.July to SeptemberHow to identify it → Holly: green berries. Hard green berries among the leaves.testzzz, CC BY 4.0HollyGreen berries Hard green berries among the leaves.July to SeptemberHow to identify it → London plane: green seed balls. Green bristly balls hanging on long strings.London planeGreen seed balls Green bristly balls hanging on long strings.July to SeptemberHow to identify it → Common lime: pale flowers. Pale flowers hanging under a papery strap.Common limePale flowers Pale flowers hanging under a papery strap.JulyHow to identify it →

Flowers and catkins

Sweet chestnut: cream catkins. Long pale catkins sticking out all over the tree.Sweet chestnutCream catkins Long pale catkins sticking out all over the tree.June to JulyHow to identify it →

Ripening

Sycamore: green keys. Green winged keys hanging in bunches.Emily K, CC BY 4.0SycamoreGreen keys Green winged keys hanging in bunches.June to AugustHow to identify it → Scots pine: green cones. Green cones swelling beside tiny brown ones.Scots pineGreen cones Green cones swelling beside tiny brown ones.June to SeptemberHow to identify it → Norway spruce: young cones. Young cones turning over to hang down.Jason Grant, CC BY 4.0Norway spruceYoung cones Young cones turning over to hang down.June to SeptemberHow to identify it →

Fruit, nuts and cones

Field maple: straight keys. Pairs of winged seeds spread almost in a line.Field mapleStraight keys Pairs of winged seeds spread almost in a line.June to SeptemberHow to identify it → Wild cherry: cherries. Small red cherries darkening to purple, on long stalks.Wild cherryCherries Small red cherries darkening to purple, on long stalks.June to JulyHow to identify it → Alder: green cones. Small green cones in bunches on the twigs.AlderGreen cones Small green cones in bunches on the twigs.June to OctoberHow to identify it →

In full leaf

Horse chestnut: seven leaflets. Huge leaves of five to seven parts spreading from one point.Horse chestnutSeven leaflets Huge leaves of five to seven parts spreading from one point.June to JulyHow to identify it → English oak: lobed leaves. Dark green leaves with deep, rounded lobes.Victor Heng, CC BY 4.0English oakLobed leaves Dark green leaves with deep, rounded lobes.June to SeptemberHow to identify it → Hawthorn: cut leaves. Small leaves deeply cut into three to seven lobes.HawthornCut leaves Small leaves deeply cut into three to seven lobes.June to AugustHow to identify it → Sweet chestnut: glossy leaves. Long glossy leaves with spiky teeth down both edges.Sweet chestnutGlossy leaves Long glossy leaves with spiky teeth down both edges.June to SeptemberHow to identify it → Field maple: blunt lobes. Small leaves with five rounded, blunt points.Field mapleBlunt lobes Small leaves with five rounded, blunt points.June to OctoberHow to identify it → Silver birch: small leaves. Small triangular leaves with toothed edges.Silver birchSmall leaves Small triangular leaves with toothed edges.June to AugustHow 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 → Common beech: wavy leaves. Oval leaves with a wavy edge, fringed with hairs.Common beechWavy leaves Oval leaves with a wavy edge, fringed with hairs.June to SeptemberHow to identify it → Rowan: fine leaflets. Feathery leaves made of many small toothed leaflets.RowanFine leaflets Feathery leaves made of many small toothed leaflets.June to AugustHow to identify it → Elder: five leaflets. Leaves of five or seven toothed leaflets, in pairs.Kieran Roy Powell, CC BY 4.0ElderFive leaflets Leaves of five or seven toothed leaflets, in pairs.June to AugustHow to identify it → Sycamore: dark leaves. Big dark leaves with five points, on red stalks.Nick Butcher, CC BY 4.0SycamoreDark leaves Big dark leaves with five points, on red stalks.June to SeptemberHow to identify it → Common ash: leaflets. Long leaves made of leaflets in pairs.Common ashLeaflets Long leaves made of leaflets in pairs.June to SeptemberHow 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 → London plane: big leaves. Big stiff leaves with three to five points.London planeBig leaves Big stiff leaves with three to five points.June to SeptemberHow 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: white backs. Oval leaves, dark on top and white underneath.Common whitebeamWhite backs Oval leaves, dark on top and white underneath.June to SeptemberHow 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 → Common lime: heart leaves. Dark green heart-shaped leaves.Common limeHeart leaves Dark green heart-shaped leaves.June to SeptemberHow 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 → Wych elm: rough leaves. Big rough leaves, lopsided at the base.Wych elmRough leaves Big rough leaves, lopsided at the base.June to AugustHow to identify it →

Coming in August

Hawthorn: haws. Red haws in loose bunches along the twigs.HawthornHaws Red haws in loose bunches along the twigs.August to NovemberHow to identify it → Blackthorn: sloes. Round, dusty blue sloes.Melanie Stanton, CC BY 4.0BlackthornSloes Round, dusty blue sloes.August to NovemberHow to identify it → Hazel: hazelnuts. Nuts in ragged green husks, in small bunches.HazelHazelnuts Nuts in ragged green husks, in small bunches.August to SeptemberHow to identify it → Rowan: red bunches. Flat-topped bunches of berries, orange going to scarlet.Alex Worsey, CC BY 4.0RowanRed bunches Flat-topped bunches of berries, orange going to scarlet.August to OctoberHow to identify it → Elder: elderberries. Heavy heads of black berries on crimson stalks.Paul Cook, CC BY 4.0ElderElderberries Heavy heads of black berries on crimson stalks.August to SeptemberHow to identify it → Sycamore: tar spot. Black blotches ringed in yellow on turning leaves.SycamoreTar spot Black blotches ringed in yellow on turning leaves.August to NovemberHow to identify it → Common ash: ash keys. Papery wings hanging in bunches, turning brown.Alex Press, CC BY 4.0Common ashAsh keys Papery wings hanging in bunches, turning brown.August to OctoberHow to identify it →
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Photographs: oliverc29 (CC BY 4.0), Wendy Herniman (CC BY 4.0), testzzz (CC BY 4.0), Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Emily K (CC BY 4.0), foott1 (CC0), Jason Grant (CC BY 4.0), samira_h (CC0), redshank (CC0), Victor Heng (CC BY 4.0), ben_deed (CC0), bobwardell (CC0), Kieran Roy Powell (CC BY 4.0), Nick Butcher (CC BY 4.0), machaut2 (CC BY 4.0), Lauren Ware (CC BY 4.0), Melanie Stanton (CC BY 4.0), Alex Worsey (CC BY 4.0), Paul Cook (CC BY 4.0), Alex Press (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.