Dash For Ash?

...or will oak win the race to come into leaf

“Oak before ash we’re in for a splash, ash before oak we’re in for a soak.” After this wet winter we’re all wondering what the summer will bring. Both trees come into leaf between late March and May, but oak leaves are more dependent on temperature and ash leaves on the number of hours of daylight. A warm spring usually means that oak wins the race, but either way the old rhyme does not forecast a dry summer.

Mature ash trees are tall and graceful with pale brown to grey bark that fissures as the tree ages. Winter trees are distinguished by smooth twigs with black, velvety leaf buds arranged opposite each other. Purple flowers appear before the leaves in spring, growing in spiked clusters at the tips of twigs. The leaves have three to six pairs of light green, oval leaflets with a single terminal leaflet. Ash timber is strong, durable and flexible, making it useful for tool handles, flooring, and rowing oars.