山毛榉(Beech trees)

这些古老的山毛榉树排列在英格兰北安普敦郡的林地哈莱斯顿冷杉（Harlestone Firs）的一条人迹罕至的小路上。这种山毛榉在英国（橡树为王）有时被称为“树后”，可以高达40米，可以存活400多年。山毛榉林地在夏季创造了大量的阴凉，这要归功于它浓密的树冠，这使得其他植物很难生长在它们下面的森林地面上。但它们确实为蝴蝶、蛾子、老鼠、田鼠和松鼠提供了一个家，而多节的树干则受到鸟类和昆虫的青睐。你可以在欧洲大部分地区找到山毛榉树，从最北的瑞典一直到西西里岛北部。
原文：
These ancient beech trees line one of the well-trodden paths at Harlestone Firs, a woodland area in Northamptonshire, England. The beech, sometimes known as the queen of trees in the United Kingdom (where oak is the king), can soar up to 40 metres in height and live for over 400 years. Beech woodland creates plenty of shade in the summer months, thanks to its dense canopy of leaves, which makes it difficult for other plants to grow beneath them on the forest floor. But they do provide a home for butterflies, moths, mice, voles and squirrels, while the gnarled trunks are favoured by birds and insects. You can find beech trees across much of Europe from as far north as Sweden all the way down to northern Sicily.
《© Andrew Baskott/Alamy》