Montacute House
& Gardens
Be a Tree Detective!
Follow this trail
around the gardens
and discover some
fascinating facts
about trees!
Name _______________________________________
From Visitor Reception, go up the path, through the
hedge and turn right. Take the second right onto the
Cedar Lawn.
1. Stop in front of one of the hedges.
What shapes can you see in this ‘wibbly wobbly’ hedge?!
2. Look carefully at the branches. What kind of hedge is
this?
 Giant redwood
 Yew
 Scots Pine
DID YOU KNOW…………….
These hedges were planted in Edwardian times. The
family didn’t want to see the servants working so the
hedges were planted to hide them!
3. Yew trees are evergreen – Most evergreen trees
don’t lose their leaves in the winter. Find another
evergreen tree on Cedar Lawn. Draw the needle
shaped leaves, a cone (if you can see one!) and the
bark.
4. Old trees like this provide a home for lots of
different types of animal. Look and listen… Can
you find evidence of the creatures that live here?
(Tip: Look for spider webs, nibbled cones, Listen for
birdsong)
Draw or write them here.
.
5. Find the Sweet Chestnut trees – their bark goes
around the trunk in a spiral.
Lie down and look up.
What shapes can you see in the
branches?
Go back down the path and down the slope towards
the House. Turn right and follow the path round.
Look through the black gates in front of the House.
6. You will see an avenue of Lime trees.
Why do you think were they planted in 2 straight lines
like this?
(Clue: the door behind you was the Front Door in
Tudor times)
CAN YOU SEE………….
The wooden tree guards
around the younger trees?
They protect them from the
cattle and sheep that graze
in the park..
Follow the path round to the right of the House. Turn right
up the slope, then turn left to the Orangery.
7. Orange and lemon trees used
to be kept in here in the winter.
Now it is used as a conservatory
for plants that like warmth & moisture.
How has the Orangery been designed to
keep it warm and moist inside?
Turn right from the Orangery.
Turn right and walk down the long, straight drive.
At the second Yew tree, turn left onto the Family Picnic
Area.
8. Find the huge log that was part of a
Giant Redwood tree. This tree had a
disease called Honey Fungus and had to
be cut down.
Estimate how old you think it was when it
was cut down.
years old.
DID YOU
KNOW…..
Trees grow
a new ring
each year.
9. Find the totem pole. This tree was also diseased. It has
been carved into a totem pole. How many mythical animals
can you see? Draw or write them here.
Go back to the entrance of the Family Picnic Area. Turn
right up the curved path, go past the Victorian Stable
Block and go into the Apple Orchard.
10. Can you spot bark that is…?
Smooth
DID YOU
KNOW……
Bumpy
Peeling
Bark is like
our skin – it
protects the
tree from
disease.
11. Can you find...?
A tree with branches growing up from the ground
A tree with ivy growing up it
A tree with moss growing on it
Go back out of the Apple Orchard.
12. On your right is an old and twisted Yew tree with lots
of branches.
If this tree had a personality, what do you think it would be?
Stand on the grass alongside the main drive.
On the right you will find a Monterey Cypress tree. It was
over 200 years old when it was struck by lightning.
The gardeners have put up some bat boxes. Hundreds of
bats now live in them.
Bat facts!
Bats are a protected species
A baby bat is called a ‘pup’
Bats have a thumb and 4 fingers, just
like people. Bats fingers are very
long. If we had fingers like a bat, they
would be longer than our legs!
13. Unscramble the letters to find out what different bats
like to eat.
______/_____
mainIa/odolb
_______
tscesni
_____
uftir
______
recnat
____
hisf
Well done – you have finished the tree trail!
