The snow has gone for now and everything is looking a bit battered down ,but as the old year comes to an end and we look forward to the new one beginning there are signs of spring to come as naturalised snowdrops start to push there way up through the leaf litter.
This tree is dead but still standing and is a valuable habitat for insects and consequentialy woodpeckers. Although it looks dangerous the sap will have drained from the wood making it much lighter and less likely to cause damage when it does eventually fall.This is not to say I recommend loitering underneath.
Harlequin ladybirds.
The little gentlemen in velvet jackets are still busy under the snow eating worms and excavating tunnels.With fresh snow it is easy to see where they are most recently active as they push up fresh earth. Much disliked by gardeners for spoiling the look of lawns they are actually quite useful in stopping the ground becoming waterlogged.
Lovely walking conditions if not so good for driving. The frost keeps the ground hard and boots clean!
The Winter solstice is nearly here and nights are long and days short but at least the moon is nearly full and shining on the snow covered countryside giving remarkable views during the nightime. Pictured is the moon rising above the woods with the oak tree still hanging on to its last few leaves
The fluffy fruits of the wild Clematis are known as Old Man's Beard for obvious reasons.They decorate the hedges and old trees at this time of year. 
More frosty foggy weather today clearing to winter sunshine.
Many of us like to feed wild birds in the winter but WWT Slimbridge takes it to another level with its swan feeds.By now around 150 Bewick Swans have arrived at Slimbridge and this is one of the few places you can observe wild Bewicks close up. Numbers should continue to increase over the next month.
We have escaped the worst of the winter weather so far in our area but the snow still makes a pretty sight. The hard frost makes walking easier and cleaner as the mud is frozen. Fields are white and hedges dark outlining the boundaries like a map.
A cold and frosty day today with the sun not breaking through until a few minutes before sunset,but what a spectacular sunset!
Now the sun is lower in the sky its rays do not reach many Cotswold valley bottoms leaving an interesting contrast of green fields where the sun shines with frost remaining where it does not.
Most of the leaves from deciduous trees are now lying on the ground and begining the slow process of rotting down and returning thir nutrients to the soil. Many insects live in the leaf litter and play their part in the woodland ecosystem.
The English Oak is usually one of the last to loose it leaves hanging on to them tenaciously through the autumn gales when other trees have lost theirs 
The Trees have lost many of their leaves in the last seven days and the glory of autumn leaves has been replaced by the more stark outline of the bare trees as shown in these two pictures of Coaley Wood
