Cleene, M. de & Lejeune, M. C. (2002) Compendium of symbolic and ritual plants in Europe. Ghent: Man & Culture.

The bark of a mature silver birch is a beautiful milky white with a texture like paper, and it will peel to reveal dark fissures as the tree ages. Younger twigs may be reddish in colour, becoming paler as they develop. The bark of downy birch is greyish brown, and patterned with darker horizontal grooves. Both species have long and slender branches, those of the silver birch tending to droop gracefully while those of the downy birch are carried more upright. Silver birch bark Hi Lizzie. Like Peter I am becoming obsessed with reading your interesting blogs but also with learning so much about nature that I was never aware of. I wish I had had this hunger for learning when I was at school. Who knows where it would have taken me. I am 67 now, onward and upward I say! Can’t wait for your next blog. Such a lovely way to learn. Birch trees come in many 'flavours', but two are relatively common in the UK - Silver ( Betula pendula) and Downy ( Betula pubescens). The dwarf birch ( Betula nana) can be found in the Highlands of Scotland. Both male and female catkins form on the same tree, and they appear during April and May. Male catkins are long and yellowish-brown, and hang downwards, often in groups of two or four, while their shorter female counterparts are bright green and grow upright, turning downwards in autumn.For communities, this time of year was all about the feast, propitiation and divination and a rest from work. Charity to others in the community was also a big part of Yule. The Woodland Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales (No. 294344) and in Scotland (No. SC038885). A non-profit-making company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No. 1982873. Transform your garden with these easy DIY tips and creative ideas. From a bare yard to a flower-filled space – all on a budget! I don’t dig up dahlias to store them at the end of the summer. And before you dig your dahlias up, it’s important to know the pros and cons. You… Birching featured in the French Revolution. One leader of the revolution, Anne-Josèphe Théroigne de Méricourt, went mad, ending her days in an asylum after a public birching. On 31 May 1793 the Jacobin women seized her, stripped her naked, and flogged her on the bare bottom in the public garden of the Tuileries. [6]

White Birch Tree wall decals birch trees wall decal Removable tree vinyl wall decal Birch trees for living nursery room wall tattoos KW008_2Macculoch, J. (1824) The Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. Containing descriptions of their scenery and Antiquities. Birch woodland has a light, airy canopy. This proves excellent for wild flowers like Wood anemone, Violets, Bluebell, and Wood sorrel, as well as for mosses. Early dog violet Viola reichenbachiana There is an old Scottish saying, ‘He’s as bare as the birk at Yule E’en’, alluding to having no clothes or being poor. The birk in this case refers to the birch tree. When stripped of its bark, the birk, or birch, was dried for burning over the Yules. If you enjoyed this, please take a look at the other features in my series on British native trees:

Step 2: Place on a baking tray, and roast in a 170C 150C for fan assisted ovens or gas mark 3.5 for 30 minutes. In some prisons and reformatories, a wooden apparatus known as birching donkey or birching pony was specially constructed for birchings. As there were no detailed rules, prisons and police stations devised, adapted and used many different contraptions under various names that juvenile and adult offenders were bent over for punishment. Some models also allowed a standing or leaning position for other implements.

Found throughout Europe, downy birch tends to grow on damper soils than silver birch and can even tolerate peat bogs and clay.