Ash Keys

Today's the day …………………… to look at a tree

When fully mature, the Ash is our tallest native deciduous tree - and it might surprise you to know that it is actually part of the Olive tree family.

Ash Trees come into leaf much later than any other trees in the UK - you won't usually see the leaves appear until after April, closely followed by purple clusters of flowers that appear in early May.  Like the Sycamore, it drops winged seed pods called ‘ash keys’  in autumn, which contain the seeds. Ash keys hang in great bunches from autumn onwards often remaining right through winter.  If you catch them when they are still very young, you can pickle them - and they do have a taste which is reminiscent of olives.

Disappointingly, the old saying 'oak before ash, we will have a splash.  Ash before oak, we will have a soak' - referring to the leaf burst - is apparently not true ……………………..