Leaves and flower of European beech, Fagus sylvatica. I don’t think this is one of those purple beeches (all the fancy copper, weeping, cut-leaf, etc. varieties stem from F. sylvatica), just that the new leaves are initially full of red. Not uncommon for just-budded leaves. Anthocyanins seem to protect the tender leaves from too much harsh UV light.
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This work by Matthew Wills is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Backyard and Beyond 
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