Wild cherry is one of the woodlands most distinctive trees, with its almost metallic bark with its horizontal marks, called lenticels, you can spot a wild cherry even in the depths of winter.

This is a pioneer tree, which means that it is one of the first trees to colonise new ground and helps prepare the woodland soil for other species. It grows quickly and, usually, lives for about 80 years, which is no time at all in comparison to some of our other tree species.

It is an important woodland food plant for insects, birds and mammals as its flowers are great for pollinators and the fruits are popular with everything from blackbirds to dormice.