Welcome to the Three Generations of Oak Trees

Sessile oak close up (copyright Cath Potter)

Family Activity

  • Stand at the 1st of the 3 oak trees in a row along the Promenade. From the littlest oak look beyond at the medium sized one & then the biggest one right at the end.
  • The biggest one is more than 100 years older than the one in the middle!
  • The other 2 oaks were planted for a queen & a king – what would you do if you were a queen or a king?
  • Walk to the next tree – the middle sized Queen Elizabeth II oak. Walk right up to it & give it a hug – how far round do your arms reach?
  • Feel the bark of the tree with your cheek – how does it feel?
  • This oak tree is a sessile oak & its leaves are wavier than the other 2 in the row. If it has acorns on it they will not be on stalks.
3 generations of oak big old English oak (copyright Cath Potter)
  • Walk up to the last huge oak at the end of the row. Give this last tree a big hug & see how it feels compared with the other oak.
  • This tree was planted for King Edward VII more than 120 years ago!
  • It’s so old – look up at the big branches – can you see ferns growing on the branches?
  • This is what happens in a rainforest – even a temperate rainforest in England!
  • Look around you – does it look like a rainforest? What do you think a temperate rainforest in England looks like? What grows there? Which animals live there?

Photographs © Cath Potter