Carpet of Leaves - stock photo

25th October 2021, Epping Forest, Essex, UK. This is a photograph of a remote part of Epping Forest, deep in the woodland where the canopy is thick. Here, little light gets through to the forest floor but shafts of light are visible, especially when the sun is lower in the sky during the autumn months. The fallen and decayed leaves are now plentiful on the forest floor and assume a brownish-red color that carpets the ground. Epping Forest is the largest open space in the London area at just over 6,000 acres, stretching from Manor Park in East London to just north of Epping in Essex. It’s a resource for wildlife and has areas of open grasslands, magnificent beech woodlands, around 80 major ponds and small lakes, with significant bird life and numerous species. This expanse of nature and wildlife exists just a few miles from central London.