Royal Oak Day
By Alice on
Today is royal oak day!
The Woodland Trust want people across England to celebrate Royal Oak day on Sunday May 29th by recording an oak tree, or a visit, on its Ancient Tree Hunt website, helping the charity towards its goal of recording 100,000 trees online by October 2011.
Royal Oak Day was celebrated for almost 200 years between the 17th and 19th centuries. It marked the restoration of the monarchy after Charles II returned to England following defeat in The English Civil War. He famously hid in the boughs of an oak tree whilst fleeing from the Roundheads. The Trust is encouraging the continuation of this grand tradition by asking the public to wear a sprig of oak to raise awareness of these magnificent trees.
The oak tree has long been a quintessential symbol of England and revered by generations of people. It is the most common ancient tree and accounts for almost 50% of records on the Ancient Tree Hunt database.
This is the oak tree design from Alice Palace…
http://alicepalace.myshopify.com/products/great-oak-ap345
The oak is probably our most easily recognised and loved British tree. Its sturdy trunk and distinctive broad crown is a familiar sight in the British landscape and for millennia has been a symbol of strength, protection, durability, courage and truth.