Downy Birch is a lovely tree and often gets mixed up with Silver Birch. Both have striking white bark and triangular shaped leaves. There are a few differences thankfully which make it a bit easier to figure out which one is which! Downy Birch is usually more upright and doesn't have the drooping branches. Also, the base of the leaves are more rounded and there are tiny hairs on the leaf stalks.
Downy Birch is more common in the North of the UK and Silver Birch is more common down here in the South West of the UK
Close up Downy Birch leaves
Leaf damage on the edges, unsure of what critter it was
 Triangular in shape but more rounded at the base than silver birch leaves. Leaf stalks are downy, as opposed to hairless on silver birch. So if you are unsure if it's a Downy or Silver Birch carefully rub the leaf stalks and if it's slightly hairy it will be a Downy Birch.
The male flowers are long catkins which are yellow / brown and in bloom between April to May usually
The female flowers are shorter catkins and start off green but by Autumn turn a a dark crimson colour
Birch is monoecious, meaning both male and female flowers (catkins) are found on the same tree, from April to May. The male catkins are long and yellow-brown in colour. They hang in groups of two to four at the tips of shoots and are also known as  lambs' tails. Female catkins are smaller, short, bright green and erect.
On some trees the white bark peels off in curls and reveals the dark brown underneath
Close up of the white bark of Birch
The bark of Downy Birch usually has more exposed brown parts of the trunk / branches than Silver Birch. Also, the base of the bark is usually less furrowed than Silver Birch. A substance called betulin is what helps make the bark white.
A good example of the brown exposed bark
Overview of a mature Birch in Exeter city centre
Close up of a Birch tree
A young Birch along Cowick street
PHOT0S
QUICK FACTS
  • Downy birch is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to the UK and northern Europe and northern Asia
  • It is also known as moor birch, white birch, common white birch and European white birch
  • Downy birch is found on damper soils than silver birch, and can even tolerate waterlogged or peaty condition
  •  Its range is more northerly and western than silver birch, and it can grow at higher elevations
  • Birch woods (which may include downy or silver birch, or both) have a light, open canopy, providing the perfect conditions for grasses, mosses, wood anemone, bluebells, wood sorrel and violets to grow
  • Woodpeckers and other hole-nesting birds often nest in the trunk, while the seeds are eaten by siskins and other small birds
  • Mature trees can reach 30m in height, forming a light canopy with elegant, drooping branches
  • Birch tree can live from 30 to 200 years, depending on the species, quality of the soil and climate
  • Trees are more upright than silver birches and the bark is more brown in colour with more obvious horizontal grooves
  • The leaves are triangular in shape but more rounded at the base than silver birch leaves
  • The leaf stalks are downy, as opposed to hairless on silver birch
  • Downy birch is monoecious, meaning both male and female flowers (catkins) are found on the same tree, from April to May
  • Male catkins are long and yellow-brown in colour, and sometimes called lambs' tails
  • After successful pollination (by wind), female catkins thicken and change colour to a dark crimson
  • It produces fruit called "samara" which can release around 1 million seeds each year per tree!
  • Pollen of the birch tree is responsible for 15 to 20% cases of hay fever in northern hemisphere
  • Birch is known as pioneer species because it easily populates habitats destroyed by fire
  • Birch has shallow root system which can damage sidewalks and roads in urban areas
  • Wood of birch tree is highly flammable. It can catch a fire even when it is wet and is used as high-quality firewood
  • Substances isolated from different parts of birch are used in cosmetic industry for the production of soaps and shampoos
  • Bark contains substances such as betulin and betulinic acid that are used in the pharmaceutical industry
  • Leaves of birch are used in the preparation of tea in Finland
  • Birch sap is used in the manufacture of wine and beer in the northern Europe, Russia and China
  • It can also serve as a substitute for sugar
  • Birch syrup, made of birch sap, is used like a dressing for the pancakes
  • Birch wood is tough and heavy, making it suitable for making furniture, handles and toys
  •  It was used to make bobbins, spools and reels for the Lancashire cotton industry
  • The bark is used for tanning leather
  • In early Celtic mythology, the birch symbolised renewal and purification
  • Bundles of birch twigs were used to drive out the spirits of the old year
  • It is also used as a symbol of love and fertility
PLEASE LEAF ME ANY FEEDBACK / COMMENTS
If there is anything out of place or wrong please contact me. Equally if there is anything you wish to add please let me know. The more information we have about Birch the better. Many thanks!