Lights in the wood

The low winter sun sometimes brings magic to the dark beech woods at the nature reserve. Today I suddenly spotted lights in the gloom - it was some peeling beech bark illuminated by a single shaft of sunlight. Nearby, a sprig of larch was catching the sun as well (extra photo).

I had fun this afternoon decorating a holly tree deep in the reserve woodland with some small red baubles. Almost all the holly within our woods is male and has no berries. The good berried holly trees are around the edge of the woods or in old clearings. I have tweeted photos of the dressed tree with a challenge for people to find it. I hope it will delight visitors to the reserve in this cold run-up to Christmas.