A Year in the Woods: December

Posted on by Kizzia

This, for me, is the month of darkness that even the twinkliest of lights and brightest of candles cannot completely dispel. As the shortest day looms large I grab every moment I can get in the light and revel in the bite of the wind even as I slip and slide on wet leaves and mud.

I find myself searching more carefully for uplifting sights in the woods, rather than focusing on the way the December rains seem to wash the colour away, leaving the paths grey and slightly forbidding. And, as is usually the case in life, what you look for, you find.

A culvert, covered in ivy and moss, pours a steady stream of water over the stones in the bank and down into the stream, where the ripples flow outwards. The bank is covered in shrubs and river and there are many deciduous trees along the stream bank.
A large tree stump that looks remarkable like a cottage complete with chimneys and a twinkling window (where the light is coming through a gap from the other side) is covered in ivy and lichen. The ground around is strewn with fallen leaves and there are other trees and a blue sky in the back ground.
A view of some autumn woodland, a thicket of trees in the back ground reach, branches bare, to the blue sky above. In the leaf covered foreground a pair of tree trunks block the way ahead.
In the foreground a broken branch, with a fork in it, is covered in moss which is a vivid spring green. Out of focus in the background are more broken branches, fallen leaves, patches of green, trees and a bright horizon.
A tangle of pale brown and green tree trunks sprout from a leaf covered slope, all reaching up to the bright blue sky above. There are a myriad of shapes outlined by the trunks and branches, so many that it feels as though, if you look hard enough, a picture will emerge from the lines.
In the bottom of the picture, in sharp focus, is a covering of yellow green fronded moss. The minute individual fronds gleam and glisten although no drops of water are visible. To the right of the frame several blades of grass, one shader greener than the moss, draw the eye. In the background, all of which is out of focus, is a muddy path that is edged in several darker shades of green, leading to a thicket of trees and a hint of blue sky at the top left of the picture.
Bare tree branches against a baby blue sky. The branches appear black except for the very tips, which have been turned silver white by the sunlight. The spaces in the centre, where the branches don't quite meet, clearly show "crown shyness".
A dead tree trunk lies on the floor of the wood surrounded by brambles and fallen leaves in various shades of greens and browns. Growing on the trunk is a fungus (type unknown) with beige/white colouring that make each section of it look like flattened, browned marshmallows.
A thicket of trees in an autumnal wood, the trunks part gilded by the late morning light. There are still some green leaves left and together with the shape of the trunks it looks like a fairy glade. The sky above is brilliant blue.
Branches covered with golden leaves are outlined against a brilliant blue sky. The leaves seem to glitter in the sunlight.
A broken and rusted metal gate with a Road Closed sign on it gapes open over a ground littered with leaves, fallen trees and grass and, most crucially, absolutely no roadway at all. Not even a path is visible, just undergrowth and trees.
A leaf strewn path meanders away through the trees. The trees that border the path have mostly bare trunks but those further into the wood (and the one closest to the photographer) have ivy climbing all over them and hints of moss too. The sky, seen through the tree branches, is mottled grey and white.
This picture is mostly shades of woods and forest green. It is dominated by two huge trees looming above the camera, leaning towards each other to make a pointed arch. They look to be covered with so much ivy and other evergreen climbing plants that you cannot tell they've lost their leaves for autumn. it is almost impossible to see a path through them.
A leaf covered path leads towards the horizon, with trees marking both edges. It can clearly be seen that many of the trees are making archways that frame the path, like open doorways leading you on.
A very autumnal corner of the wood, with a leaf strewn path leading away through the trees to the right. The ground to the sides of the path is green as well as as russet orange thanks to the ivy and ground plants mixed with the leaves. Most of the trees are bare but a few have yellow gold leaves clinging on.
A view of the stream from a bank set on a sharp bend, so it looks as if the photographer is standing in the water to take the shot. The water is dark and muddied, the reflections of the woods surrounding it partial and shaken with the ripples in the water. The banks are a tangle of greenery, the trees bear moss and ivy rather than leaves. In the distance is just possible to pick out the bridge crossing the stream.
A close up of vivid green fluffy moss growing on a rotten branch. Behind, out of focus, are orange brown fallen leaves and a dark green growth of what might be ivy.
A close up of some old man's beard (the climbing shrub with seed pods that are long white and furry) next to some bright red berries. Nature doing its own Christmas decorations.

So here ends A Year in the Woods. This wood, ancient as it is, is becoming less accessible with every passing year – new housing estates up to its edges, farmers blocking access “accidentally”, the management of the wood as whole being neglected so fallen and about to fall trees are an ever present danger – so whilst I didn’t managed to capture every month I am glad the months I did cover have captured each of the seasons, and my favourite spots, for posterity.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed it too and I’d love to hear about your favourite woods or walks if you feel inclined to share!

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