Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries,  Trees, forests and woodland

Gallery: going to the woods

July 21, 2025 / 55 Comments

Going to the woods is going home, for I suppose we came from the woods originally

John Muir

There is something about being amongst trees that speaks to all of us. Our deep-rooted (pun intended) appreciation of them spans cultures, geographies, and histories. Forests appear in the stories and myths of so many cultures, as mysterious places where both danger and magic can be found. No one, it seems, can enter a forest without experiencing some of that awe, as the vast number of quotes to be found about trees and woods attests.

As Egidio reminds us, in setting this week’s Lens Artists challenge, the Japanese even have a word for the succour that trees afford. They call it shinrin-yoku, or forest-bathing; immersing yourself fully in the special atmosphere of a forest to relieve stress and promote well-being.

I’m fortunate to have been able to visit forests and woods in many countries of the world. And while the tree species may vary according to climate zone, one thing remains constant: the sense of peace that trees exude.

I’ve shared many of those wooded walks in the past so in this post I want to highlight the best of each one. I hope that in doing so you will see that, like people, trees may vary in their appearance but have more in common than they have differences.

And as there are so very many powerful quotes about the importance of trees to our lives and well-being, I’ve chosen to pair my images with a selection of these.

Some of these photos have appeared before, including in monochrome edits in a recent post, I can’t see the woods for the trees. My feature photo was taken in Chitwan National Park in Nepal.

‘Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise’

George Washington Carver

[Early morning, Bardia National Park, Nepal]

‘I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees’

Henry David Thoreau

[Yayeme palm forest near Fimela, Senegal]

‘Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky’

Khalil Gibran

[Mangrove forest by the Gambia River]

‘But though to the outer ear trees are silent, their songs never cease’

John Muir

[Montaigne d’Ambre National Park, Madagascar]

‘It’s not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully charges and renews a weary spirit’

Robert Louis Stevenson

[Cloud forest, Monteverde, Costa Rica]

‘To enter a wood is to pass into a different world in which we ourselves are transformed’

Roger Deakin

[Tayrona National Park, Colombia]

‘Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people’

Franklin D Roosevelt

[Aspen grove in the Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming]

‘For still there are so many things that I have never seen: in every wood in every spring there is a different green’

J. R. R. Tolkien

[The trail to Rainy Lake, North Cascades National Park, Washington State]

‘Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions’

 John Muir

[Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington State]

‘A grove of giant redwoods or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great or beautiful cathedral’

Theodore Roosevelt

[General Grant tree, Sequoia National Park, California]

‘Don’t you think, monsieur, that woods are like churches?’

Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

[Gould Grove, Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California]

‘The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness’

John Muir

[Inland Vancouver Island, British Columbia]

‘The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demands for its sustenance and extends generously the products of its life activity; it affords protection to all beings, offering shade even to the axe-man who destroys it’

Buddha

[by Kielder Water, Northumberland, England]

‘A wood’s aura of history seems to go back not just beyond what generations of humans have done to it, but beyond civilisation altogether’

Richard Mabey

[Black Park, Buckinghamshire, England]

‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now’

Chinese Proverb

[in the New Forest, Hampshire, England]

‘Walking in the woods, I felt in touch with the universe and with the spirit of the universe’

Alice Walker

[Ruislip Woods in November, north west London, the woods of my childhood]

Ruislip Woods

A few words about the last photo, taken in Ruislip Woods. This is the biggest single area of woodland in Greater London. According to the Ruislip Woods Trust website:

Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve is ‘ancient semi natural woodland’ and some parts are a remnant of the Wildwood that once completely covered England after the last ice age, about 8,000 years ago. When the land was first cleared for agriculture some woodland was left to provide timber and firewood. In the case of Ruislip Woods the native trees are oaks and hornbeams. Coppicing of hornbeams is known to have occurred for over five centuries up to the 1930’s but it steadily reduced thereafter and ceased by the 1950’s. Coppicing restarted in 1982 and, once more, the woods are actively managed for conservation and recreational purposes.

55 Comments

  • Jim Earlam

    August 13, 2025 at 23:27 Reply

    Love a John Muir quote! Just heading back from British Columbia with its forests of cedars spreading for thousands of miles and stories and history embedded into the culture of the First Nations. And I loved wandering around Ruislip woods!

  • Annie Berger

    July 29, 2025 at 02:25 Reply

    What a lot of work you put into this post to find photos of forests or woods from your travels as it that wasn’t enough, but then searching out quotes to pair them up with. Very impressed by your diligence!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 29, 2025 at 08:42 Reply

      Thanks so much Annie 😊 I often like to find a good quote for my themed photography posts but on this occasion I found so many that I had to use them!

  • wetanddustyroads

    July 24, 2025 at 12:59 Reply

    I love forest walks – something we often done on our travels in the Eastern Cape, but not so much in the Western Cape (here, it’s more about beaches, mountains and vineyards). I love that you have placed such an appropriate quote with each photo. All the photos are lovely, and I particularly like the Tolkien quote – it is true that there are many shades of green to be found in different forests and seasons.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 24, 2025 at 14:13 Reply

      Thank you, I’m so glad you liked the choice of quotes alongside these photos 🙂 And you’re right, Tolkien’s observation about the different shades of green is spot on!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 23, 2025 at 10:08 Reply

      Thank you Leanne 🙂 Yes, we’ve been fortunate to visit many places with beautiful woods and forests, especially in recent years it seems (Costa Rica, Madagascar, California …)

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 23, 2025 at 10:06 Reply

      Thanks so much Amy 😊 We were out looking for tigers in Bardia when I took that shot – we didn’t see any but the beauty of the woods almost made up for that!

  • thehungrytravellers.blog

    July 22, 2025 at 07:51 Reply

    Some of those quotes really resonate, Sarah. There is definitely a special feeling when lost deep in woodland, a feeling you can even get close to home, as you demonstrated in the last one. Something to do with perspective….maybe suddenly the trivia of our modern lives don’t seem so important….

  • Marilyn Armstrong

    July 21, 2025 at 23:15 Reply

    Living IN the woods is special, though untidy. Great quotes to go with those wonderful pictures.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 22, 2025 at 08:36 Reply

      Thank you Marilyn. Yes, I can imaging living in woods (or even very close to them) can be a bit untidy at times. Whenever anyone says t me that they live in the woods, I always think of Laura Ingalls Wilder – probably my first introduction to the landscapes of the US, both woods and prairies!

  • Tina Schell

    July 21, 2025 at 22:53 Reply

    A marvelous collection of forests around the world Sarah – you DO get around 🙂! All are beautiful of course but the Bardia image you opened with is so mystical and ethereal for me it’s truly a standout.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 22, 2025 at 08:34 Reply

      Thanks so much Tina 😊 Yes, we do get around, although bear in mind that the oldest of these (British Columbia) was taken more than twenty years ago! I’m glad you liked the Bardia image as I loved the early mornings there and in Chitwan NP. Although as I said to Joanne below, I did do a little bit of work to soften the light in that shot, and add a little warmth to what was quite a misty morning.

  • Egídio

    July 21, 2025 at 21:58 Reply

    Sarah, where do I start? First off, thanks for joining these majestic forest images from around the world. Every single one and the quotes you used are marvelous. Nepal, British Columbia, Hoh Forest, and your childhood woods are absolutely gorgeous. I’m ecstatic with this collection. Superb!

  • Joanne

    July 21, 2025 at 14:54 Reply

    Sarah, your feature image is stunning! It reminds me of some English landscape paintings. The rest of your post is really well done. I so enjoyed looking at the images and enjoying the quotes that you attached to each of them. Wonderful post. Thank you.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 21, 2025 at 15:40 Reply

      Thank you very much Joanne 😊 I’m glad you liked the quotes – I did spend some time matching them to the shots! I have to confess the feature image had a little bit of work done to soften the light and add a little warmth to what was quite a misty morning.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 21, 2025 at 15:38 Reply

      Thank you so much Ritva 😊 I’ve just come from your fabulous post so I can say the same, ‘I didn’t expect anything else from you’!

  • photobyjohnbo

    July 21, 2025 at 13:35 Reply

    A wonderful selection, Sarah! I did a double-take at the image of the stand of aspens. I have a similar photo of aspen trees in the Wind River area of Wyoming. I didn’t use the photo for my “woods” response, but you’ll see it in a future challenge post. 🙂

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 21, 2025 at 15:37 Reply

      Thank you John 😊 I just looked up Wind River WY on a map to see if I was close to that area when I took that shot, but no, we were further north near Sheridan. I’ll look out for your similar photo!

  • ThingsHelenLoves

    July 21, 2025 at 11:13 Reply

    The images and quotes work beautifully together, there really is something special about forest and woodlands.

  • Sue

    July 21, 2025 at 09:43 Reply

    What wonderful variety of woodlands – stunning selection. I would love to see the Hoh rainforest and also like the Ruislip wood in the autumn.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 21, 2025 at 10:04 Reply

      Thank you very much Sue 😊 As I said to Margaret, the Hoh was truly amazing! The Ruislip Woods shot was taken during Covid, at the point when we were told we could drive a short distance to take our daily walk. We were desperate for a change of scene and as Ruislip is less than 30 minutes away it was a nice excuse to revisit one of my childhood haunts.

  • margaret21

    July 21, 2025 at 09:14 Reply

    You’ve chosen to feast our eyes on a whole variety of woodlands. It’s astonishing the variety that this simple term can encompass, as these shots demonstrate. They can generate a whole range of emotions, from the comfort, almost cosiness of an English woodland, to the awe inspired by for instance the redwoods of America. My favourite shot today though is that of the Hoh Rainforest, in Washington State. I’d love to see that!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      July 21, 2025 at 10:02 Reply

      Thanks so much Margaret 😊 You’re right about the huge variety of woodlands and forests! The Hoh was an amazing place to visit! It was high on my must-see list for that trip and it didn’t disappoint 🙂

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