White

A quick trip out to Matlock this morning as the forecast was so good (actually, the weather was cold and foggy for much of the morning, but it got better).  As a result, no walk in the park, but here's a picture of one of the more handsome trees on Shipley Hill, which caught my eye the other day.  Birch trees are well known for their white, papery bark, but this one really took the prize, especially with the sun shining on it.  With the white flowers of the Snowdrops too, everything's looking rather 'monochrome' at the moment.

It's a bit tricky trying to discover which variety of Birch this is, but I think it may be a Himalayan White Birch (Betula jacquemontii).  Quite an impressive specimen whatever it is and one I will be keeping an eye on in future.