Tree talk - Get to know… Holly

Wales’ temperate rainforests are a tangled patchwork of tree species and the wildlife that depends on them.

The trees in our Welsh woodlands aren’t just wonderful to wander through, they’re home to a whole host of species which grow on them, under them or live among them. From lichens and bryophytes to birds and bats, it’s this variety and depth of biodiversity which makes these special habitats so important. Learning about the different types of trees within our rainforest gives us a picture of the species which co-exist with them, as well as understanding how our local communities have lived alongside them for hundreds of years.

One of the stars of the winter woodland is the Holly, Ilex aquifolium, an evergreen which shines brightly in the colder months with its bright red berries which are popular with birds during frosts. Identified through it’s glossy forest-green spiked leaves, this prickly character can tower to 15 metres and live for 300 years. So the giant you find in the forest could have lived there in the Victorian era!

With its charismatic fruit and thorns, the holly is entwined with Welsh and Celtic folklore. Due to its evergreen foliage, holly was seen as the ‘ruler’ of the darker half of the year and became integral with Yule stories and traditions such as bringing holly into the home. It also has a long-standing connection with the land, with farmers often using ancient giants as a distinctive year-round focal point to establish lines of sight for winter ploughing.

Holly is an important part of our Celtic Rainforests. It’s a key species in the habitat ‘91A0’, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) habitat which our project focuses on to protect and restore as an area rich in Celtic Rainforest. This SAC habitat also is home to the holly’s summer Celtic folklore ruler counterpart, the sessile oak.

You can find holly at the following locations… Forest Locations | Celtic Rainforests Wales