Big Tree Country

It is not for nothing that Perthshire is called ‘Big Tree Country’. The Dunkeld Estate certainly has big trees galore. This view shows the tall trunks of the evergreen Scots pine - the national tree of Scotland with its distinctive blue-green needles (top right) and the rich orangey bark. Scientists have pinpointed the Scots pine as the next well-loved British tree species that could fall victim to foreign pathogens. Let’s hope not. The sycamore still has its canopy of golden leaves caught in the morning sunlight before the wind and cold nights bring them tumbling down. In the distance is a Douglas Fir, named after Scottish botanist David Douglas. It can grow to an incredible height. On the right are the slender outlines of silver birch with only a smattering of leaves left.