Buttington Oak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buttington Oak |
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|---|---|
| Species | Oak (Quercus robur) |
| Location | Buttington, Powys, Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°40′41″N 3°06′40″W / 52.678°N 3.111°W |
| Date seeded | c. 1100 |
| Date felled | February 2018 |
The Buttington Oak was a very old and famous tree in Wales. It grew near a historic earthwork called Offa's Dyke, close to the village of Buttington. People believed it was planted around 893 AD to remember a big battle between the Vikings and local Welsh, Mercian, and Wessex forces. For many years, people cut its branches regularly to get wood, a process called pollarding. The tree was "rediscovered" in 2009 because many people didn't know how old or important it was. Sadly, strong storms damaged it in 2017, and it finally fell in February 2018.
A Tree with History
The Buttington Oak was thought to have been planted to mark the site of the Battle of Buttington. This battle happened in 893 AD. In this fight, an army from Mercia, Wessex, and Wales won against invading Vikings. The tree might also have been a special marker on Offa's Dyke. This dyke is an old earth wall from the 8th century. It marked the border between the ancient kingdom of Mercia and the Kingdom of Powys.
The tree stood in fields near Welshpool. It was on a flat area that sometimes flooded, north of Buttington and east of the River Severn. You could reach it by walking on a public footpath. For hundreds of years, the oak was a "working tree." This means people regularly cut its branches. This method, called pollarding, helped them get wood for building or even making tools and weapons.
What the Buttington Oak Was Like
The Buttington Oak was not widely known until it was "rediscovered" in 2009. It did not have any special legal protection. The tree was huge, measuring about 11 meters (36 feet) around its trunk. This made it the biggest tree on Offa's Dyke. It was also the second-largest oak tree in all of Wales! The Woodland Trust, an organization that protects trees, recorded it as Ancient Tree Inventory site Tree No. 31758.
In May 2017, powerful storms hit the Buttington Oak. The storms caused the giant tree to split into two parts. Then, in February 2018, the entire tree finally fell down. Experts believe the tree was more than one thousand years old when it died.
After the tree fell, scientists from Cardiff University took small pieces, called core samples, from its trunk in March 2018. They studied these samples to learn more about the tree. Later, the samples were sent to scientists at Kew Gardens and then to Professor Pedro Willem Crous for more research.
On June 29, 2020, the research results were shared online. Scientists found a type of fungus inside the tree called Cryphonectria radicalis. This fungus is a harmless relative of a disease that affects chestnut trees. It was only the fourth time this fungus had been found in the United Kingdom, and the first time in Wales. Even more exciting, they found a brand new type of fungus! They named this new species Ypsilina buttingtonensis, after the Buttington Oak itself.
