It’s wonderful to experience the changing seasons in Rookwood. The mixed collection of sycamore, oak and ash trees sprout a thick canopy of leaves high above that throws the understorey in to deep, cool shade, whilst their trunks disappear beneath a rising undergrowth of spring flowers. The soundtrack is that of rooks calling to each other; raucous chicks tucked in to twiggy nests constructed in the upper-most branches beg for food, brought to them by weary parents. Jackdaws offer softer notes, lesser spotted woodpeckers drum on the hollow bark of dead trees, blackbirds and thrushes sing long melodious tunes from sentinel posts and the silky, liquid refrain of blackcaps drift through the vegetation. It fills my heart to spend even a few moments strolling through the Rookwood…
All images by Lou Luddington Photography