England's "King of Trees" is the oak, its consort being the "Queen of Trees", the beech. The beech is a long-lived species and naturally occurs in the British Isles in south east England and south east Wales. It prefers well drained soils, and particularly those on chalk and limestone. However, such is the beauty and utility of the tree, it is now found in many areas of our islands. In Herefordshire and elsewhere I have noticed its liking for slopes, presumably because they drain quickly. These examples are relatively young beech trees and the area in which they are growing exhibits another feature of the species - they suppress the growth of the woodland floor suffering only the most persistent plants to thrive beneath their canopy.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Sony DSC-RX100
