Edinburgh has an ambition to have a million trees by 2030. By 2025, the best estimate was that there were 884,000 trees in the city. There are large wooded areas such as the Hermitage of Braid, Cammo Woods and the banks of the Water of Leith, Duddingston Loch and the River Almond.
Individual trees come in an astonishing range of shapes and sizes and often change dramatically through the seasons.
I find tree bark, leaves, branches, fungii and the resident wildlife as interesting as whole trees – and tree lined avenues can be dramatic.
The Royal Botancial Gardens Edinburgh has a wonderful variety of trees which the staff preserve and study. Many of the trees in this slide show are growing in the Botanics. I took most of them on a ‘tree photography’ course in October / November 2025.
