STAGS HEAD OAK

STAGS HEAD OAK: There is an old saying that ‘oaks grow for 300 years, rest for another 300 years and then slowly die for a further 300 years’.

Here’s an example of that natural process BUT with a difference. The shape of this oak is known as a ‘stag’s head’ oak.

This phenomenon happens when an oak (you will also see this with chestnut) has been affected by draught, diseases and pests - often all at once.

You get oak die back and only certain limbs survive and leaf. This oak is alive and well but has seen better times and days.

Actually a dead oak has about 4 times as much biodiversity associated with it than an living oak.

Tip - to identify an English oak - look up at the branches and if they look like deer antlers then you have spotted your first English oak.

They get this shape because the terminal buds grow from the side of the twig each season which produces this zig zag appearance .