Comenius Partnership Visit to Oxford Planting our Oak Tree

When our Comenius Partners visited Oxford in March we planted an Oak tree to commemorate the visit and to support the theme of our Project – ‘Ecology United’

The oldest and youngest students worked together to start planting the tree

All the students were keen to get involved and took turns to help with the planting

The English Oak Tree The Oak has been recorded in British history since the interglacial periods, around 300,000 years ago! It was the most common tree in our forests about 5,000 years ago and still is today. The English Oak has always been seen as the national tree of England and its great height, age and strength have made it the king of the English forest and a symbol of endurance.

Acorns grow in clusters and are an important source of food for many birds and small mammals, particularly jays and squirrels who cache away the acorns for later consumption. Being deciduous, oaks lose their leaves in winter. They have been a prized source of timber since prehistoric times and it's said that an oak tree hid king Charles II from the Roundheads at Boscobel. These magnificent trees grow to well over 30 metres and can live for 1,000 years or more. Flowering begins in late spring, with the fruits (acorns) ripening in time for autumn.

This really was a special event – even the clouds marked the occasion! An amazing photo courtesy of John Forty