Trees gallery - in and around Thornton le Dale

Around Thornton le Dale

Thornton le Dale is a small village on the road from Pickering to Scarborough in North Yorkshire. It is famed for its thatched cottage by the beck, and has been a popular coaching stop for over a hundred years, welcoming the open topped charabang parties that would drive out for a day trip to coast or moors. There are many interesting trees in and around the village.

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Acer campestre

Field maple

Our native maple, commonly planted on roadsides and in car parks, as here, due its resistance to air pollution. Capable of reaching 20m, and living up to 350 years. Usually monoecious male and female reproductive parts are on the same plant , the yellow-green flowers appear as the leaves open, in erect clusters; they are insect-pollinated. The fruit is a samara a winged achene, a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall with wings aligned at 180°.

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Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum'

Shrimp leaved sycamore

A popular cultivar of the common sycamore, grown for its modest size (to 4m in 20 years), and its salmon pink spring leaves. It displays greenish yellow flowers in spring and winged red fruit in the autumn.

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Acer pseudoplatanus

Common sycamore

During daily walks around the village in the coronavirus lockdown, we took note of some of the trees around the village. This is a stand of 5 sycamore trees, growing tightly packed together in High Fields, to the north west of the village, isolated from other woodland.

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Acer pseudoplatanus

Common sycamore

A fine large sycamore, next to the Bowling Club, by Burgess Mill. Very common, considered a weed by some, as it is not native to this country and spreads readily. Its timber is perfect for pyrography and for turning wet (unseasoned) in preparation for fine piercing.

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Acer psuedoplatanus

Common sycamore

Another tree on the Ancient Tree Register, number 1720. Classed as a veteran tree with a girth of 5.19m. It suffered the loss of a large branch in 2019, but is still growing. Situated on the path between the car park and the sports field.

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Acer pseudoplatanus

Common sycamore

Yet another tree on the Ancient Tree Register, number 228. Classed as a veteran tree, with a girth of 5.54 m . It looks like limbs have been lopped off over time, probably necessary to prevent their weight causing them to split and break away.

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Aesculus x carnea

Red horse chestnut

A medium-sized tree, an artificial hybrid between A. pavia (red buckeye) and A. hippocastanum (horse-chestnut). Its origin uncertain, probably appearing in Germany before 1820. It inherits the red flower color from A. pavia. Its showy flowers are borne in plumes on branch ends in spring, producing leathery fruit capsules in autumn. Usually smaller in stature than its more prolific parent, growing to 12m.

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Aesculus hippocastanum

Horse chestnut

A large horse chestnut dominates the village green (more of a traffic island these days) in Thornton le Dale, a plentiful source of conkers in September. There are numerous other examples around the village, particularly in the Thornton Estate Woods at the south of the village. Many suffer from leaf mining moth attacks as the season progresses.

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Alnus glutinosa

Alder

Yet another tree on the Ancient Tree Register, number 31726. Classed as a veteran tree, with a girth of 3.6m. Not easily accessible, down a footpath on a bend in Thornton Beck on the south side of the village.

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Carpinus betulus

Hornbeam

A hornbeam spotted at the entrance to a garden on Westgate. Pictured in late October, when the clusters of three-lobed bracts, together with the turning leaves, make for a colourful spectacle.

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Ceanothus from Greek keanōthos, a thistle, though the plant does not resemble a thistle

Californian lilac

A ceanothus growing by the north wall (of The Hall's old walled garden) in the car park at Thornton le Dale. A.k.a. buckbrush, soap bush, or just ceanothus, it is native to North America. There are many varieties, mostly shrubs growing to 3m; I am not sure which this is.

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Cornus controversa from Latin - Cornum - horn, probably referring to the dense wood; controversa - in opposite directions, probably relating to the branches which spread out and cross each other variegata - variegated foliage

Wedding cake tree

A variety of dogwood native to China, Korea, the Himalayas and Japan. It is a deciduous tree growing to 15 m, (8 m for the variegated variety) with multiple tiered branches, which give the common name. Flat panicles of white flowers appear in summer, followed by globose black drupes fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed

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Cytisus scopariusfrom Greek - Kytisos - a type of clover, relating to the plant's leaf shape; scoparius - from Latin scopa - a broom or sweeping stick, relating to the long brush-like branches

Common broom

An upright, deciduous shrub about 1.5m tall, with slender green shoots bearing small bright green leaves composed of 3 leaflets, and clusters of pea-like bright butter-yellow flowers, appearing from the leaf axils in late spring.

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Fagus sylvatica

Beech burr

On the road from Thornton to Ellerburn, there is a large burr unnatural growth caused by the grain growing around a foreign object, a localised virus or fungus infection on a beech tree just off the roadside. Probably caused by some injury or stresss to the tree in the past, causing a mass of twiggy growth to form on the side of the trunk.

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Fagus sylvatica (laciniata?)

Cut leaf beech

One of many fine trees in the car park at Thornton le Dale. A cut leaf form of beech, either asplenifolia or laciniata (some authorities list the two as synonymous, but Trees and Shrubs Online makes a distinction). Smaller than the type, but still growing to 20m.

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Fraxinus excelsior

Common Ash

This is the larger of two large ash trees in Aunums Field, on the south west of the village, near what was the old Farmanby village. It seems to be fighting off ash dieback.

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Hedera helix

Ivy

Ivy stems surrounding the trunk of a beech tree in the woods on Dog Kennel Lane. The finger-like hand in the middle, and the way the stems morph into each other adds a fascination to an otherwise mundane tree.

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Juglans regia

Walnut

This large walnut probably formed part of The Hall parklands many years ago. A fine tree, just off the path alongside the old Ha-Ha, leading from the car park to Dog Kennel Lane. There are smaller versions a couple of hundred yards on either side, probably offspring.

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Juglans regia

Common walnut

A relatively small walnut tree growing as the southern end of the lake. I like to think this could be an offspring from the large walnut a few hundred yards away, but perhaps it was just planted here.

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Laburnum anagyroidesLaburnum - the Latin name for the tree; anagyris - a similar genus, hence anagyroides is 'resembling anagyris'

Golden chain tree

A deciduous small tree, native to the mountains of S Europe from France to the Balkans. All parts of the plant are poisonous, although mortality is very rare. The heart-wood may be used as a substitute for ebony or rosewood. It is very hard and a dark chocolate brown, with a butter-yellow sapwood.

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Liriodendron tulipifera from Greek Leirio - lily, referring to the lily-like flowers, and dendron tree; tulipifera - tulip like, referring to the leaves

Tulip tree

A little unusual to find this tall tree growing down Archway Lane in Thornton le Dale. I believe this is probably because the man who used to own the house and garden was Royston Valentine Roger, who started R V Roger nurseries in Pickering in 1913. The unusual 4-lobed leaves carpet the lane in autumn.

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Magnolia (soulangeana?)

Saucer? magnolia

A large magnolia tree growing at Brook House, near the stream on Priestman's Lane. Possibly a saucer magnolia, but there are so many varieties of magnolia that withut a definite confirmation it would be hard to pinpoint what this one is. The pink tinge and early flowering fits the description.

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Magnolia (stellata?)

Star magnolia

A small star magnolia growing outside a terrace house just across the road from me on Roxby Road. Masses of flowers for a short period - in full bloom here but already some petals are tinged with brown.

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Pinus sylvestrisPinus is Latin for pine; sylvestris from silva - woodland or forest

Scots pine

Tall Scots pine are mixed in with beech in a strip of woodland alongside the beck, opposite the playing fields. A large beech snapped and fell in a storm in 2023, giving a little more light to the Scots pine. A large, evergreen tree to 25m, with the upper trunk and branches orange-brown, developing a picturesque, irregular outline with maturity. Twisted grey-green needles are borne in pairs. Cones are 5cm in length.

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Quercus robur

Pedunculate Oak

This fine oak is on the Ancient Tree Register, number 223770: Notable tree. It has a girth of 5.23m. It is in a sheep field next to the path that runs along the old Ha-Ha, leading from the car park to Dog Kennel Lane. Pedunculate refers to the "peduncles" that the acorns are borne on - long stalks - as opposed to sessile oak, where the acorns grow from the branch.

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Rhus typhina rhus - from the Greek for the sumac; typhina - from Latin, 'rough like antlers in velvet', referring to the hairy, velvety young twigs that resemble a stag's antlers.

Stag's horn sumach

A spreading stags horn sumac growing in a garden by the beck on Maltongate, in autumn colour. A large suckering deciduous shrub to 6m, the red-hairy stems with large pinnate leaves turning red and orange in autumn. Dioecious having male and female reproductive organs on separate plants , with yellow-green flower clusters, followed on female plants by dense crimson fruiting heads. [RHS]

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Sequoia giganticum

Giant sequoia

Noted in the Ancient Tree Register, number 195651. Girth 5m, as a Notable Tree. In St Mary's churchyard, it is slowly swallowing an adjacent gravestone.

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Sorbus aria from Greek: sorbus - service tree, or red-fruited tree;aria - an old name for oak

Whitebeam refers to the white blossom and white underside of the leaves

A deciduous broadleaf tree that is compact and domed, growing to 15m. The bark and twigs are smooth and grey and the shoots are brick red in sunlight but greyish-green in shade. It is hermaphrodite each flower contains both male and female reproductive parts . Five-petalled flowers appear in clusters in May, and are pollinated by insects, followed by into scarlet berries which ripen in late summer.

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Sorbus aucuparia from Latin: sorbus - service tree; avis, bird and capere catching , reportedly describing the use of the fruit as bait for fowling.

Rowan

A.k.a. mountain ash, a deciduous tree or shrub growing to 15m, native to Europe, Asia and N Africa. It is monoecious male and female flowers grow on the same tree , blossoming from May to June in dense corymbs of small yellowish white flowers and develops small red pomes as fruit that ripen from August to October, eaten by many bird species. The fruit and foliage have been used in the creation of dishes and beverages, as a folk medicine, and as fodder for livestock. Its tough and flexible wood has traditionally been used for woodworking. Yellowish grey, gleaming bark becomes grey-black with lengthwise cracks in advanced age, with lenticels in the bark elongated and coloured a bright ochre. The plant does not often grow older than 80 years.

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