Holly

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 Staying in the seasonal theme I thought the next feature should be holly. Sadly we only have an ornamental holly in the garden and not the native version.


Something that I hadn't realised about holly is that the leaves at the bottom of the tree are often spiny to protect from browsing herbivores whereas the leaves at the top of the tree are smooth. All holly leaves are hard and waxy which allows them to conserve water and for the tree to be able to stay in leaf throughout the winter. In order to get "berries" there must be both a male and a female tree. They aren't "berries" strictly speaking but "drupes" as the fleshy outer structure surrounds a hard stone. Apparently it used to be thought unlucky to chop down holly trees as they kept the goblins away. It must be true as I've never ever seen a goblin around here.  As usual the Woodland Trust do a comprehensive account. Holly

Diary.
Temperatures are hovering about zero C and the snow comes and goes. Snow on the hills this morning but not in the valleys.




One pheasant and some rabbits were all I had to show for my camera trapping last night. Another named storm is forecast for tomorrow so we are getting ready for strong winds and snow.






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