Spot a tree today

The holly

Not just for Christmas, the holly is another tree that most of us can recognise, with glossy dark green or yellow-splotched prickly leaves and red berries in winter. It's Britain's most common evergreen tree. It is, of course, used to decorate our homes at Christmas, a custom which dates from pre-Christian times when people brought in green branches in the dark months as a sign of life.

In Latin: Ilex aquifolium