I have recently developed a fondness for the hornbeam, a tree that is native to southern Britain. They don’t seem to be very common on the Hampshire/Berkshire borders, but I have found a few places where they grow. Strangely, nearly every local hornbeam seems to be grow at a peculiar angle, with many of them bending quite sharply. When there is a group of them (and I’m sure I read somewhere that they are “gregarious” trees, that is, they like the company of other hornbeams), this can result in some wonderfully dramatic visuals.
