Bare naked ladies

No, not a follow on from yesterdays post on that 'sex' graffiti, these bare naked ladies are the forests beech. The queens of the forest, now bereft of their cloak of autumn hues, they stand proud silhouettes again the cool winter skies. The canopies may have fallen though these majestic trees are just as stunning.  I've mentioned Bratley Woods beauty before, a never enclosed open deciduous semi ancient/ancient woodland, it has a timeless quality about it.  It really is beautiful at any time of the years; it makes you sigh.  You'd imagine it always being there, both in the past and into the future, although even the most cursory glance around you will show a stark reality. Once one tree succumbs to the ravages of the elements the woodlands armour is weakened, storms get inside and more trees are slighted, and so on, and so on, until the woodland is no more. This wouldn't be a problem naturally, as as old trees fell, new samplings would take advantage and  prosper. The woodland renewed. Though as I've mentioned before, due to overgrazing by increasing numbers of deer and ponies, there are few saplings to fill the gaps.  Sadly, this afternoons walk, stunning as it was, saw more recent casualties in Bratley Wood, more ancient trees laid waste. I know nature is ever changing, and ever renewing, but this is different, none of the actions effecting the forests trees are natural (as such), our overstocking and manipulation (too many deer and ponies, with no predators), coupled with climate Change (erratic weather with increased episodes of extremes) is destroying the forest I know.  Still, if I thought about that too much when out in the forest, I'd be walking around crying. So I embrace what I see and I'm thankful I get to see it. I hope for change, even though at times I may feel it a forlorn hope. I hope because to loose these ancient woodlands would be too unforgivable a crime.