Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum

Riverside dining

Posted: April 12, 2012 at 19:04 pm Author: Westonbirt's learning and participation team

This Easter, Westonbirt’s learning and participation team have created two great family events, with an Easter Challenge (3 – 6 April) and an exploration of Jurassic Plants (10 – 12 April) on offer for families. Trails amongst the trees and craft activities make this the perfect spring day out – here’s a taste of some of the amazing tree facts you’ll find on the trails!

Many fossils have been found of Platanus leaves and fruits – American sycamore / plane tree - dating back as far as 115 million years ago (late Cretaceous).

Platanus orientalis

Fossils show that they were once continuous from Asia, Europe to North America. They grew along the banks of rivers and other bodies of water.

Sauroposeidon are thought to have been one of the dinosaurs to include sycamore leaves in their diet.

Today the American sycamore and London plane trees are used as shade trees in urban areas and research is being undertaken to see if they would be suitable as a biomass fuel.

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