Visit the Trust in winter, and the park is still full of green trees – the evergreens. Among them are a lot that look more or less like Christmas trees: pointed tops, and leaves that aren’t at all like the leaves of other trees like oaks, beeches or maples. These trees are the “conifers”, which means “cone-bearers”, so called because they produce their seeds wrapped in cones with woody scales, of which pine cones are the best known example. The scales open when the seeds are ripe to let them fall or be blown out.

All conifers have leaves which have been modified to stiff, often shiny, needles, scales or spines. This sort of leaf is very good at conserving moisture, and many conifers can grow in dry climates. The trees often have sticky resin, which makes them also very cold-resistant. The conifers at the Hawk Conservancy Trust fall into three families: the Pine family, the Cypress family, and the Redwood. There are several other conifer families that are not represented at the Trust.

PINE FAMILY

Trees of the Pine family have their leaves in the form of needles. The arrangement and size of the needles, and the size and shape of the cones, are important in identifying them. Cones are usually densest near the tops of the trees.

Scots Pine

Pines (Pinus) have long needles, which can be bundled in 2s, 3s or 5s according to species. The Scots pine Pinus sylvestris is the only native British pine, and has relatively short needles in pairs, normally up to 7 cm (3") long, but up to twice as long on young trees. The cone is roughly pear-shaped, about 8cm (3") long, and its scales open up when the seeds are ripe. There are a few young Scots pines in the copse at the bottom of the meadow. The Scots pine is found across Europe, and was the original Christmas tree when the tradition was imported to Britain from Germany by Prince Albert. It is still the favourite Christmas tree in North America.

Most pines when old tend to lose their lower branches and become flat-topped. Some Mediterranean species have very large cones which produce edible (and delicious) pine nuts.

Cedars (Cedrus) have needles which grow in dense tufts, and produce large barrel-shaped cones that sit upright on the branches of the tree. They can grow very fast, and have fragrant wood. The best-known cedar in Britain is the Cedar of Lebanon, from the Middle East; but there are none in the park. There are however two other species of cedar.

Atlas Cedar

The Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica comes from the mountains of North Africa and was brought to Britain in 1845. The variety most often grown is the “blue Atlas”, which has rather short, thick, blue-grey needles. There are small Atlas cedars in two of the copses in the meadow, which have much more of the Christmas tree shape than other cedars.

Deodar

The Deodar Cedrus deodara was introduced from Afghanistan in 1831. It has an elegant, drooping shape and rather long, fine, green needles. There are several deodars around the park: in the sheep field, near the kestrel box in the meadow (the biggest on the park), and even a few very small ones in some of the aviaries.

Douglas Fir

The Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii was introduced from the Rocky Mountain area in 1827. It is not related to other firs, and has rather soft, short needles arranged along each side of the twigs. It has distinctive cones with three-pronged “tongues” sticking out between the scales. This tree is exceptionally fast-growing and can reach a height of 50m (180 feet) in just 70 years. The very fine conifer near the entrance to the shop is the only one on the park.

Spruces (Picea) have rough, usually sharp needles which tend to lie flat to the tops of the twigs. Many have whitish stripes on the backs of the individual leaves. The cones hang down when developing, and fall off whole.

Norway Spruce

The Norway spruce Picea abies is what we now think of as the Christmas Tree. Not native to Britain, it is found right across the northern part of mainland Europe and has been grown here since before 1500. It has rather short, soft needles for a spruce, and large light brown cones with flat scales, 20 cm (8") long. There are many well-grown Norway spruces on the park, especially around the entrance and by Micawber’s aviary. The lower branches of mature trees droop, but the tops still look like the small trees sold at Christmas.

Colorado Spruce

The Colorado spruce Picea pungens is a popular garden tree, especially in its blue form “Glauca”. The tree is native to the south-western USA and was introduced in 1852. This spruce has thick, curved, stiff needles nearly an inch (2cm) long, and the young growth, at least in the common cultivar, is blue-grey. Its cones are similar to those of Norway Spruce, but rather smaller. There is one opposite Cinnamon’s aviary.

Serbian Spruce

The Serbian spruce Picea omorika is a striking tree: the ends of the branches curve up to reveal bright silver linings under the unusually blunt leaves. The cones are quite small – no more than 8 cm (3") long – but the same light brown as those of other spruces. As its name suggests, it comes from Serbia and was brought to Britain in 1889. There are two in the deer enclosure, together with a Norway spruce of similar age, and very similar overall shape.

REDWOOD

Dawn Redwood

The Dawn redwood Metasequioa glyptostroboides is a tree with no close relatives. It was only discovered and brought to England from China in 1948. This tree has soft, feathery green leaves which turn red and fall in autumn. There are two small specimens of this rather rare tree in the Harris Hawk flying arena. It is said to be unusual for them to produce cones in Britain but both these trees produced a few in 2007: young cones are like small green radishes with a pointed end, but when ripe they are brown with open scales and about 2cm (¾") long.

CYPRESS FAMILY

Trees of the Cypress family have very small “scale leaves” normally pressed nearly flat along the twigs, though in youth some produce spiky, needle-like leaves. Their fruit, like the Pine family, is generally a cone, though very small and growing at the end of a leafing branch.

Monterey Cypress

True cypresses (Cupressus) have tiny scale leaves covering a disorganised mass of thin twigs. The cones are round, from marble to conker size. One of the most interesting trees in the park is a big Monterey cypress Cupressus macrocarpa, a species introduced from California in 1838. It grows in the “owl garden” and must be around 13 feet (4 m) in girth. Its name “macrocarpa” means “big fruit”, and the conker-sized cones are the biggest of any cypress. This tree was planted by Ashley’s grandfather in 1947, and has grown to its huge size in just 60 years – it is one of the fastest growing of all trees.

Lawson Cypress

False cypresses (Chamae-cyparis) have elegant, fern-like hanging sprays of scale-leaves and tiny round cones about the size of a pea. The Lawson cypress Chamaecyparis lawsoniana was introduced from California or Oregon in 1854 and has become the most widely-planted conifer in Britain, with over 200 different fancy varieties in a huge range of sizes, shapes, foliage and colour variations. Most of the cypresses in the park are varieties of this species. There are some good blue-grey examples at the entrance to the Woodland Owls arena.

Lawson Cypress Var. Fletcheri

One tree with strikingly different foliage can be found on one corner of the group of trees near the vulture aviaries. The tree itself is very upright, with upswept branches, and the foliage is feathery, with all the leaf-scales elongated into points. This is probably the variety “Fletcheri”, which is one of three rather similar varieties very popular in suburban gardens.

Leyland Cypress	“Castlewellan Gold”

Hybrid cypresses have been produced by plant breeders. The best known is the Leyland cypress Cupressocyparis leylandii. This was produced in Britain in 1911, a cross between the Monterey cypress and the Nootka cypress, which is a close relative of the Lawson cypress. Very fast growing and much used as hedging and wind-breaks, Leyland cypresses have foliage intermediate between the parents: long sprays of scale-leaves, but more or less twisted and three-dimensional, often strongly upswept. Most of the Leylands on the park have been removed, but there are still the yellow-tinged trees in the car-park, which are probably the cultivar “Castlewellan Gold”. Leyland cypresses rarely produce cones, but one common variety “Leighton Green” can do so: they are intermediate in size between those of the parents, about the size of a Malteser!

Thuja

Thujas are very similar to false cypresses, but their leaf-scales are much bigger and rather shiny, the leaf-fans are rounded, not pointed, and the little flower-bud-like cones are upright on the twig-ends. The commonest is the confusingly-named Western Red Cedar (it is not a cedar) Thuja plicata, introduced from Eastern Canada in 1853. One of the most elegant of conifers when allowed to grow into a big tree, it is surprisingly common in hedges.

Thuja plicata

There is a rather small one with many cones in the middle of the golden Leyland hedge in the car park, and a splendid golden variety (no cones) in the clump of trees by the vulture aviaries. This is probably “Zebrina”. The leaves have a sweet smell often compared to pineapple, and on sunny days it perfumes the air round the tree.

The wood is fragrant and highly prized. The best-known local example of something made from a Western Red Cedar is the totem pole at Virginia Water.

Juniper Bushes	Juniper Leaves

Junipers (Juniperus) often retain their spiky scale leaves all their lives. The common juniper Juniperus communis is the only member of the Cypress family native to Britain, growing on chalk downland – for example, at Danebury Hillfort. There is a fine upright tree of this species next to the burrowing owls and several low bushes around the pond in the Woodland Owls arena. The two sprawling, blue-grey, semi-prostrate bushes on the lawn by the White-tailed Eagles are also fancy cultivars of juniper, with a mixture of flat and prickly scale leaves. Juniper cones are in the form of small black berries about the size of an elderberry, which can be used in cookery. They are also used to flavour gin (Dutch “genever” means juniper), and you can smell the gin if you crush a juniper berry.

Herb Bennet or Wood Avens (Geum urbanum)

A medium-sized, hairy perennial, another member of the Rose family, growing up to 60cm. It has unequal, pinnate and bluntly-toothed leaves, with the end leaflet larger than the others. The yellow flowers are 5-9mm across, with five rounded petals. It is very common in Britain, found in woods, hedge banks and scrub land, growing in light shade, on less acid soil. Flowers from May to August. We have found this plant in only one place in the meadow so far, in the hedge to the right of the hides, in the semi-shade of the trees.

Rough Chervil (Chaerophyllum temulentum)

A tall, erect herb, a member of the Carrot family, very similar in appearance to Cow Parsley, but whereas Cow Parsley flowers from April to June, Rough Chervil comes after it and flowers from June to July or August. For some time we thought this was Cow Parsley, but managed eventually to identify it as Chervil. The stems of Rough Chervil are solid, with purple spots, dull, dark, very hairy grey-green leaves and white flowers in umbels, very like those of Cow Parsley, but slightly smaller and daintier. It is common in Britain, except in the north of Scotland, but rare in Ireland. In Reg’s Meadow there was an impressive sweep of Rough Chervil along a large part of the bottom hedgerow in 2007 and it has also appeared in other parts of the meadow hedgerows.

Knapweed Broomrape (Orobanche eliator)

We have found Common Broomrape regularly in the meadow, but this year we believe we have also had Knapweed Broomrape, in the central area, close to the southern, left hand path. Like all Broomrapes it has erect, fleshy, hairy stems, which are often easier to spot after the flowers have died away, as the dry brown spikes stand out against the green meadow foliage. Knapweed Broomrape is taller than Common Broomrape and has yellow stigmas, while those of Common Broomrape are purple. Broomrapes are parasitic, each variety on a different species of host plant, this one on Greater Knapweed, a widespread species in Reg’s Meadow. The leaves of Broomrapes are reduced to scales and the plants contain no chlorophyll, so they have no green parts. This species is frequent to locally common in southern and eastern England. We will look out for it again in 2008.

Spiked Sedge (Carex spicata)

This small sedge appeared among the grasses in front of the hides, just one plant, close to the mown path into the meadow, in May 2007. We never found it again, as the taller grasses grew up and hid it! As far as we can tell by looking at photos on the Internet the most likely identification is Spiked Sedge, although the soil conditions in the meadow are not the usual ones given for this species, but it has been identified in at least one web site as growing in a grassland meadow. Any other suggestions gratefully received and we’ll see if it comes back this year!

Golden Oat-grass (Trisetum flavescens)

An erect, perennial yellowish grass, 20-50cm tall. It has flat leaves, downy on top and an oblong flower head with whorls of spreading branches. It is found all over Britain except northern Scotland, growing in meadows and grassland, flowering from May to June. We are gradually identifying new grasses in the meadow – they are quite difficult to tell apart, but the list is growing!

Pendulous Sedge (Carex pendula)

A native perennial, growing in large tufts in damp, deciduous woodland and by streams, on clay soils. It is found in southern and eastern England and in our meadow it grows in the old pond, now dry, in front of the seating area. It is a large, showy grass, with long pendulous female spikes. Flowers from May to June.