The prickly beast. Holly is a wonderful sight at this time of year; the drab greys and browns of the surroundings are put to shame by it's bold green. I adore the way each leaf looks like someone has painstakingly polished and buffed it to shiny perfection.
A rigid leaf with alarmingly sharp spikes which don't soften with age, the long dead leaf litter on the ground poses precisely the same threat.

No sign of any berries left now, I hope the hungry birds have a stash somewhere else to draw from.

Sophie