Red Oaks in Spring (May 2021)

Driving past Clisptone Forest I spotted some bright yellows from a line of trees that I believe to be red oak varieties (1). I normally capture them in autumn when, as the name suggests, the leaves turn a fine shade of red. 

The main difference between the red oaks and the native oak varieties are the shape of the leaves. Instead of the rounded lobe shapes normally associate with English and Irish oaks, the red varieties have pointed lobes and some of the leaves are comparatively large in size. 

I am not totally certain which type of red oak is grown in Clipstone Forest and, until this year, I had not really observed them in spring. However, the colour was terrific, particularly when set against a clear blue sky:

These are some close ups of the leaves including some of the red oak flowers/catkins:

(1) Red Oak (Quercus rubra) - British Trees - Woodland Trust