Belonging to the same family as alders and hornbeams, the birches are a group of catkin-bearing, alternate-leaved, deciduous trees, native to northern temperate regions of the world. They display their male catkins through the winter months and their shoots are slender, with big, conic and often sticky buds.
There are about 60 species in total, spread right across the region, from Japan to Spain and across North America, all of which also have light airy crowns and typically bright peeling bark. In fact, they are particularly well-known for the attractiveness of their bark, which, depending on species, can vary from pure white to red.
The most commonly found birch species in the British Isles are: