The Oak Tree Folk

This is the story I told my two wee people before we went exploring in the woods as one of our advent activities. We were lucky enough to find two Oak Tree Folk,they asked to come home with us where they now live on our mantelpiece. Their pictures are below and they were created by the talented MamaPixie. Information has been acquired over the years so difficult to site source as all now in my head!


Most people know an Oak tree when they see one. The distinctive shape of their leaves give them away, as do the fruits they produce in the form of acorns. Very tasty...if you are a squirrel! Most people would also know that Oak trees are long lived. 100 years is merely a youngster in Oak tree terms as they can live up to 800 years!. What a great tree! Well insects certainly think Oak trees are great as they provide them with lots of tasty leaves to eat. In fact, the Oak tree has so many insects feasting on it that it has to grow a second set of leaves in the summer. There are probably fewer people know this fact about the Oak, but now you do so you can share it with those that don't. There are two types of Oak in Britain, the English Oak and the Sessile Oak. The second of these is hardier than the first and prefers cooler climates. For these reasons it is more abundant in Scotland.
So, we have learned some things about Oak trees; they have distinctive shaped leaves (which insects think are tasty), they produce acorns (which squirrels think are tasty), they really are ancient and they can grow a second set of leaves. We also know there are two types in Britain and the Sessile likes to grow in Scotland's cooler climate. Some well known facts, others not so well known. Now, if you come closer there is another fact about Oak trees that only a handful of people know and soon it will be known to you too....
Normally when people walk past an Oak tree they notice it but they don't see it, they don't feel it and they don't touch it. They just notice it and keep walking. That's the problem, you will never really get to know something unless you take the time to let it introduce itself to you. For an Oak tree to be able to introduce itself you have to stop, look at it and listen to it. If you do this and put your ear up to it's rough, tough bark you might hear whispering voices. At first you will probably think it is the breeze rustling the leaves but tune your ears to the whispering and you will begin to make out words, words like grow, nurture, look after in male and female voices. These voices are coming from the hollows inside the Oak trees and belong to the Oak Tree Folk.
The Oak Tree Folk are a group of wee people who live in the Oak trees and watch over them. They ensure the trees are healthy and happy. The Oak Tree Folk know the trees are happy if they produce a lot of acorns, if their leaves are lovely and green and if they can feel the energy of the tree pulsing through it's trunk and branches. If the trees are not healthy or are unhappy the Oak Tree Folk nurse them and nurture them. They polish their leaves so they can absorb as much sunlight as possible, they take water down to their roots when days are long and hot so the tree can soak it up, and they sing soft songs to the Oak to soothe them.
The Oak Tree Folk also look after the animals and insects that live in the Oak trees. They help the squirrels find their hidden acorns when they wake up from their slumber on Winter's warmer days. They sit on the eggs of all different birds that nest in the Oak trees so the adults can go out and find food for themselves. When the eggs hatch the Oak Tree Folk chicksit so the parents can find more food for hungry beaks! The Oak Tree Folk even look out for the Oak Apple Gall wasps whose larvae mutate the leaves of the Oak tree to form a gall around themselves. In June and July the larvae hatch out of the gall as adult wasps and the Oak Tree Folk rejoice as the cycle of life begins again. I guess you might be wondering if the wasps harm the Oak trees, if you are the answer is no, they are perfectly harmless. They are also harmless to the Oak Tree Folk as they do not have a sting like some other types of wasps.
So there you go, now you are one of the few people who know about the Oak Tree Folk. Next time you are in the woods and come across an Oak tree you know what to do...go up to it, feel it and listen to it. Who knows you might hear the Oak Tree Folk, in fact if you are lucky enough you might even see them!!