Wildlife
English oaks are a symbol of great strength and endurance. 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. 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 distinctive lobed and wavy 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.
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Little helpers
Dormice can be very helpful to oak trees.
Dormice can be very helpful to oak trees.
Oak tree heartbeat
Chris Watson captures amazing sounds of life within an ancient oak.
Chris Watson captures amazing sounds of life within an ancient oak.
Fungal friends
In times of drought, an old oak tree will respond by killing off some of its own branches.
In times of drought, an old oak tree will respond by killing off some of its own branches.
Elevated woodland floor
Nick Baker finds an alternative autumn habitat in the canopy of an oak tree.
Nick Baker finds an alternative autumn habitat in the canopy of an oak tree.
From small acorns
Acorns produce a large tap root which will anchor it for the rest of its life.
Acorns produce a large tap root which will anchor it for the rest of its life.
The English oak can be found in a number of locations including: Europe, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the English oak distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Quercus robur (synonym Q. pedunculata) is commonly known as the English oak or pedunculate oak or French oak. It is native to most of Europe, and to Anatolia to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa.
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Oak wood
Limestone pavements
Parkland
Broadleaf forest
