What3Words reference: flats.toned.swift

Location notes: having walked past the end of River View Road, and the first bend in the path round the school playing field, the best clue is; this tree is opposite the 8th post of the school fence. I am sorry – not very succinct!!

This tree is native to south-east Europe and Asia Minor from France acroos the Balkans and Turkey. It was introduced to UK parks and woodlands in the 18th century and has now become naturalised here.

It is not as valuable to wildlife as our common English oak but the catkins provide pollen and the acorns food for birds and small mammals. However it is host to the gall wasp Andricus quercuscalicis whose larvae damage the acorns of native oaks, leading to extensive felling on Ministry of Defence UK bases in 1998. So is less widely planted now.

It does not weather well outdoors and even indoors may crack and warp.