PARK LIFE

A red deer stag circles beneath an old oak tree in Richmond Park, London one misty October morning at dawn. The morning light was soft and diffuse with lights of brightness caught by the dewy oak leaves and stag's antler tips, resembling an oil painting from bygone era. Rather fitting considering red deer, together with fallow and roe deer have roamed Richmond Park since 1637 and have played an important role in shaping and protecting this unique landscape and habitat. There are several mature oak trees along the edges of the open grasslands of Richmond Park National Nature Reserve, due to the introduction of grazing deer which prevents tree saplings from growing. The parkland trees also have a distinctive and appealing 'browse line' as the deer eat all the leaves and twigs growing below their reach. In addition to eating grasses, leaves and shoots of trees, they eat sweet chestnuts, horse chestnuts and acorns. 2025 marks a mast year for oak trees, when they produce an abundant bumper crop of acorns to ensure that some seeds survive to grown into new trees, whilst providing a feast for the deer and squirrels.

Richmond, London, UK