Westonbirt Arboretum in the spring

I decided a while ago to join various outdoor memberships so I had a selection of lovely both local and further afield places to visit.

So last November I joined the Friends of Westonbirt which enables me to not only visit Westonbirt, but Batsford Arboretum which will be a lovely drive in the Cotswolds.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Botanic Garden Wales which I have visited three times already, but definately will be going back.  Yorkshire Arboretum that I intend taking a trip to this autumn.  Kew Wakehurst, Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh and finally Royal Botanical Gardens Kew which for a single membership of just £45 for the year I feel is so worth it.

So along with knitting I also love immersing myself in photography using my DSLR Nikon camera.  I am still learning alot, but I get so much joy spending hours just slowing down and noticing things.

In the welcome area I photographed the map of the site which has so many different area's.

Firstly I headed to the tree top bridge which takes you into Silk Wood, an amazing structure where you are high up in the skyline of the woods.

An area of photography that I really enjoy is close up work, noticing the small details.

 I love how the light landed on the ferns and made them look so shiny.

 

In amongst the woods I spotted a tree covered with the most vivid green moss and on top an ivy was climbing over a tree stump.  So many shades of green.

 

 

With such a huge arrear of tree's to look at you can't fail to notice the variety of tree bark with all the different textures on them.

I loved the shadow on this tree as the sun caught it.

 

Over a period of two years with the help of many different people the Arboretum invested in Community planting project where by the end of March 2025 over 9000 new trees will have been planted in an area that had previously had Dutch Elm trees.  

 

In the 1970's whole area's of tree's were effected, so a whole new section will now be developed with a variety of tree's having been planted.

 

It is amazing how small the tree's currently are and how long it will take for them to become the huge ones they will ultimately develop into.

 

When I am walking in nature and I can hear bird song I love to use the Merlin app.  You just stand and listen to the birds and it identifies them for you.  

 

These were all the birds I heard in various areas of the woods.

In the spring Westonbirt is known for the Rhododendron flowers.  It was so lovely to see so many varieties and hear and see the different pollinaters buzzing around the flowers.

I walked through to the old arboretum before it was time to head back and had to take a picture of this amazing looking tree.

As always I had my knitting with me and enjoyed some lovely quiet time just working on my latest project.