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    • Broadleaf summer issue: here comes the sun

      Elisabeth Crump  •  10 Jun 2025

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      Charlotte Varela  •  13 May 2025

    • Rare UK animals quiz: how well do you know our endangered wildlife?

      Charlie Mellor  •  07 May 2025

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Common non-native trees

The common introduced trees you may find naturalised or growing wild in the UK.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Apple

    Tart, tangy and crisp. The fruit of the apple tree is a firm favourite in the UK. And although they’re not native, we’ve been breeding them for centuries as eaters, cookers and to make cider.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Beech, copper

    Deep purple, distinctive, dramatic. Loved by some but loathed by others. You’ll often find this striking tree planted in landscape-scale gardens as a specimen tree.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Cedar

    Stately, aromatic, gigantic. Find out more about one of the most majestic of all planted trees.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Plum, cherry

    Street tree, early spring flowerer and ancestor of the domestic plum. Cherry plum is one of the first trees to blossom in the UK.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Cherry, sour

    Acidic fruits that are adored by birds. This tree gives astonishing displays of blossom in spring along hedgerows and woods.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Horse chestnut

    Spiky cases, gleaming seeds, celebrated by children. Horse chestnuts, with their mahogany-bright conkers, are the very essence of autumn.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Chestnut, sweet

    Introduced by the Romans and a roasted winter treat. These long-lived giants, with their prickly-husks and deeply grooved bark, give us our classic Christmas nut.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Cypress, Leyland

    At the centre of many neighbour wars, Leyland cypress can reach great heights very quickly. It’s one of the fastest growing conifers and often towers over houses and gardens.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Cypress, Lawson

    Tall ornamental with feathery foliage. One of the UK’s most popular garden conifers, Lawson cypress has rot-resistant wood which is popular in Japan for coffins and shrines.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Eucalyptus

    Pleasant smelling, antiseptic, highly flammable. Eucalyptus might be the favourite of koalas in its native Australia, but in the UK it is insects which are drawn to its rich oil.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Fir, Douglas

    A fragrant home for wildlife, the Douglas fir isn’t just for Christmas. First introduced in the 1800s, it’s been a valuable timber source and provided homes for the likes of red squirrels and pine martens.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Hemlock, western

    Dense and graceful, the western hemlock is a handsome tree with drooping branches of soft needles. Introduced in the 1800s, the tree casts such heavy shade that not much can live beneath it.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    European larch

    A spring-time show-off, European larch is a conifer full of surprises. Introduced over 400 years ago, it’s a favourite with squirrels, birds and moths alike.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Maple, Norway

    Introduced in the 17th century, the handsome Norway maple is known for its hardy timber. Its leaves are a favourite with caterpillars and its seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Monkey puzzle

    Distinctive and spiky, the monkey puzzle has been making strong impressions since dinosaurs roamed the earth. These days, jays and squirrels feast on its nuts.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Oak, holm

    With its evergreen leaves, the holm oak is a bold splash of colour in the winter months. It was first introduced in the 1500s and, though it’s not as adapted as our native oaks, it supports plenty of our wildlife.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Oak, red

    Fiery, fast and spiked, the red oak is a fast-growing tree native to North America. It is often planted as an ornamental tree for its flaming autumn colour. Although it isn’t as valuable to wildlife as our native oaks, it’s popular with nesting birds and pollinators.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Oak, Turkey

    A pretender to the throne, the Turkey oak was introduced to the UK in the 1700s and is now impacting our native oak populations. It’s less valuable to wildlife, but much faster growing and a host of the knopper oak gall wasp.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Pear

    First introduced around AD 995, the diverse and delicious pear is a favourite with wildlife and people alike.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Pine, black

    Looming, handsome, graveyard-dweller. The black pine is common in shelterbelts, gardens and timber yards alike. Despite being huge, this non-native conifer isn’t a favourite with wildlife, though birds do enjoy its seeds.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Plane, London

    A real city slicker, the London plane is the capital’s most common tree. As a hybrid of American sycamore and Oriental plane, it was first discovered in the 17th century then widely planted in the 18th.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Plum

    A butterfly’s paradise with lovely blossom and even lovelier fruit. The plum is a petite tree which is perfect for pollinators and a perfect addition to any orchard.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Poplar, white

    Hardy, pale, magical. White poplar might not be native, but it is naturalised in the UK. It supports early pollinators and is an excellent coastal windbreaker, tolerating salty winds and exposure.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Spruce, Norway

    Festive, useful, squirrel food. Made popular by Prince Albert, Norway spruce is a familiar non-native, with friendly winter colour and a value to native wildlife.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Spruce, Sitka

    Imposing, aged, useful. The Sitka spruce accounts for around half of commercial plantations, and though it’s not as valuable as our native trees, it shelters birds and small mammals.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Sycamore

    Familiar, romantic, sticky. Sycamore might have been introduced by the Romans or in the 1500s. Since then, it’s colonised woodland, becoming a source of food and shelter for wildlife including aphids that leave behind their tacky honeydew.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Walnut

    Food of the gods, medicine for the people. Walnut was first introduced by the Romans who, like much of our native wildlife, valued its nuts.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Walnut, black

    A handsome healer, the black walnut is both ornamental and medicinally valuable. It’s a favourite with squirrels, and its timber is extra pricey.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Western red cedar

    A tree of strength and industry, western red cedar is grown in the UK for hedging and timber. Though less useful than our native trees, it provides food and shelter for wildlife.

  • Trees woods and wildlife

    Yew, Irish

    A mutant favourite with wildlife, the Irish yew is thought to have developed from the common yew. All Irish yews descended from cuttings of one tree found in County Fermanagh in the 1700s. Nowadays, it provides food and shelter for native animals.

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