The Birch tree is beautiful in many ways. From it’s silver bark to its waving arm-like branches I love this tree and am lucky to have two ‘weeping’ versions in my garden. I have used the birch bark to hand dye yarn and the tree features in one of my favourite folk stories.

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‘The girl leaned her back against
the trunk and her spindle fell to the
ground and Silver Birch gently touched
the girl’s cheeks with her soft branches.
The girl awoke and gazed up. Oh how
she loved this beautiful tree…’

excerpt from the Forestry Commission’s Collection of Tree Folk Stories