Autumn Stroll at Westonbirt Arboretum

Japanese Maple at Westonbirt Arboretum near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England.

A recent visit to Westonbirt National Arboretum to enjoy the colors of autumn proved colorful indeed. Although colors were not at their peak, a nice smattering stood out among the 14,902 trees (2,500 different types) seen from portions of the 17 miles of accessible paths. The Arboretum comprises three areas: Silk Wood, an ancient, semi-natural woodland with exotic plantings throughout; the Old Arboretum, a designed landscape dating from the 1850’s with trees from around the world; and the Downs, a species-rich grassland.

The day of the visit was a mixed bag as far as weather was concerned. Exploration before lunch took place in the Silk Wood area under grey and rainy skies. Although somewhat gloomy, the grey backdrop and diffused light really made the colors pop. After lunch (which was a delicious pulled pork sandwich from the open barbeque outside the Arboretum’s restaurant), the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. During the Old Arboretum stroll, walking and photographing with a droplet-free lens were far more enjoyable, but the atmosphere felt completely different from that of Silk Wood. The change in lighting changed everything.

I was pleased with a lot of the images that I was able to capture, but decided to limit how many I posted to just a few of my favorites, mostly taken from Silk Wood before the sun came out. I hope you enjoy!