The easiest time to identify a tree is whilst it is in leaf. Leaves give us great insight into trees, not only can we tell what species of tree it
is from them but also other indicators about its general health. Leaves share the same
 anatomy, although the configuration of the elements can vary greatly between species, and even between closely related species too. The simple leaf (right) is simple as it has no leaflets, the entire photosynthesising part of the leaf is continuous and connected to a single stem going back to the branch. The leaf shape is palmate as it is 'fingered' This differs from the compound leaf (left - below) which has several leaflets making up the leaf, whilst sharing the same stem back to the branch there are gaps between the leaves and each leaflet has its own stem (petiolule) and vein system. If you would like to have a go at identifying trees by their leaves you can get a pdf version of the guide HERE. The guide gives you a range of leaf shapes which you can use along with descriptions to help try to get the tree to species level, giving you pointers on how to differentiate between species in the same family, be warned though this is not an exhaustive list but may help point you in the correct direction.

Deciduous trees become slightly trickier to identify in the winter months once they have lost their leaves. Fear not though I have you covered for that too, you can use my Winter Tree Identification Guide. Which covers many of the common trees found here at Warley Woods, exploring how you can identify them using only Bark, Buds and other tree-specific identifying features. 

Seeing as you are interested in Warley Woods and its tree life, you may also be interested in learning how to 'guesstimate' the age of our trees using this handy guide: Ageing the Trees of Warley Woods.

You may also like to go on our self-guided tree walk using one of our tree walk leaflets, these are available printed in the shop or alternatively a pdf version HERE.

If you liked using these guides and would like to see more like this why not support Warley Woods Community Trust by making a donation? We are a community-run park and rely on donations to be able to help maintain our Warley Woods!