Summer 3

Summer times

A beech tree  has been struck by lightning, killed and blasted down one side.

Beetle grubs have lived happily in the dead wood for some years, eating their way through and through until the wood has softened to a powdery pulp.

The green woodpecker is particularly fond of beetle grubs, and, knowing they are there, has already pecked several large holes.

Around the roots of the dead tree, young bracken fronds are unfolding