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Nature Example
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Beech

A tall, graceful tree with smooth, grey bark.

Mature Beech Tree
Mature Beech Tree
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license
Copper Beech tree leaves on the ground in autumn
Copper Beech tree leaves on the ground in autumn
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license
Cracked Beech fruit with nut
Cracked Beech fruit with nut
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license

How to identify:

Look for its smooth, grey bark (which looks a bit like an elephant's leg), its oval leaves with wavy edges, and its prickly, four-lobed seed cases.

💡 Fun Facts

  • Beech woodland has a very dense canopy of leaves in summer, which means the woodland floor is often very dark.
  • The nuts inside the seed cases are edible and are sometimes called 'beechmast'.
  • Beech trees keep their dead, copper-coloured leaves on their branches all through the winter, only losing them when the new leaves grow.