Holly Tree at The Hollies near Lordshill
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Holly Tree at The Hollies near Lordshill by Jeremy Bolwell as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Holly Tree at The Hollies near Lordshill
Image: © Jeremy Bolwell Taken: 1 Sep 2011
The large number of mature Holly trees here are counted amongst the very oldest in all of the UK, most being around 400 years old. They were cut for winter fodder for cows and sheep from medieval times onwards, the leaves being rich in both nutrients and calories and the leaves harvested were from the higher branches, being softer and 'prickle free'. It was a common practice all over the country but a rare example of a purpose-planted wood of this type survives here in remote Shropshire. Many of the hollies have Rowan trees growing from their ancient trunks - seeded in bird droppings and sprouting in cracks in the holly bark.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
52.611178
Longitude
-2.912338