Hornbeam Halo

Today's image was taken on a return trip to Cobtree Manor Park just outside my home village of Aylesford (see previous blip 1st May).
Home to Maidstone Zoo until it closed in 1959 the land was then left to a charitable trust who developed it into a country park for public use in the 1970's - it is part open country park, part woodland and part parkland garden set over 50 acres on a gently sloping hillside with views of the North Downs.
After various updates over the years it now includes a sculpture trail, an arboretum, a cafe and a themed play area for children.
My main image is of this magnificent avenue of hornbeam trees on one of the trails around the park. When you are walking underneath them it really feels like you have a halo of leaves over your head.
The extra is one of the sculptures on the sculpture trail. It is by a local sculptor called Jason Mulligan, who was commissioned to produce "The Trails with Tails" stone sculpture trail to tell the history of the park including it's time as a zoo.
This particular sculpture is called "Life of a Leaf". It has the shape of a leaf carved out of the vertical stone and next to it on the ground is the stone leaf looking as if it has fallen out of the main sculpture (I couldn't seem to get a decent image of this part of the sculpture). I crouched down to get this angle so that it would frame the fossilised looking tree.
The other three sculptures on the trail are called "Trails with Tails", "Zebra Rock" and "Seed Stack". No doubt hey will be appearing in future blips!