Artworks and Beauty of a Rainforest, but in Derbyshire?

Derbyshire most certainly is a county that has something of a "varied and rich kind of landscape." Which of course has the delightful agricultural and rolling gentle landscapes of hills, to the dramatic limestone dales of The Derbyshire Dales which form the White Peak, all the way through to the wild and windswept moorlands of The Dark Peak, and its various Gritstone edges and peaks. But Derbyshire is also home to something else, and that something else happens to be, 

"One of the only Temperate Rainforests in England. Which is called Padley Gorge, a magical area that throughout the seasons has a certain something different to it, for it is in the Spring and Summer when it is at its most lush, and within the Autumn, it comes alive with a glorious and theatrical colour, which is most certainly worth capturing."

But it was on Saturday the 16th of May 2026 - that I had a visit to a Woodland that I have not visited in quite a while, that woodland happens to be located right next to the village of Shipley, a hidden village situated between Ilkeston and Heanor, that just so happens to be right on the border with Shipley Country Park. However though this section of Woodland, no matter when I have visited in the past always seems to be full of artworks, sculpture and changes just waiting to be captured, in the Autumn it glows with the theatrical colours that nature paints, and whilst I had not visited this section of woodland for quite a while, well here I was - and of course what had also happened? Well it had rained, which made things that little bit more special, for this time around I took a brief and short walk around this delightful section of woodland, and I came across the Artworks and Beauty, of a woodland that really did look akin, after the rainfall to that of a rainforest, and below are the photos that I had managed to capture. But as I came away, I had the following question in the mind,

"For is this small section of delightful and untamed woodland where nature creates and curates the artworks of the trees, the lush greens and the beautiful colours of Autumn when they arrive, for is this perhaps a Temperate Rainforest? For it has the quality for it to be perhaps. But at the end of the day, even if it is a small section of Temperate Rainforest, it really is something else to behold."

"The Trunks and the Frame."

"Lush, Green and Life with Serenity."

"The Woodland Heart Dances."

"Rainforest Dreaming."

"Light and Green, A Rainforest Dance."

"Colour and Glow. Where the Rhododendron's Grow."

"As the Arts of a Rainforest Glow."

"Sanctuary in the Woodland Cathedral."

"The Rainforest Light, A Glow so Bright."

"Height and Colour down Low."

"A City of Trees, Buildings clad in Green."

"The Rainforest Wall."

"A Bridge in Woodland Light."

"Fallen into the Serenity of Sanctuary."

"Following the pathway to Middle Earth."

"The Bridge of Fallen. And the Rhododendron Kingdom."

"Rhododendron Sanctuary. Chaos or Layers?"

"A Frame."

"The Rhododendron City."

"The Fallen Highway, Nature Flows."

"Colours Glow, Lush Green and Vibrant Symphony."

"Sculpture, Arts, Woodland and Rainforest Gallery."

"The Light, And a Rainforest Scene, afternoon Light and Shine."

"A Wall of Art, a Wall of Layers and Colours."

"The Bridge, and Woodland Glow."

"Woodland and Rainforest Mystery."

Gone are the Swathes of Blue, but hold on, what is that? When a Woodland gives you the fine works of nature.

Well it certainly goes without saying that "the Bluebells and Swathes of Bluebells this Spring have been nothing short of spectacular, even if they did bloom perhaps a little earlier than usual." But of course now though, those swathes of Bluebells are past their peak - but nature of course still provides a unique transformation within the landscape, and yet again manages to change the colour of the landscape, and it was on Monday the 4th of May 2026, that I visited a little section of Woodlands, just past Beauvale Priory and its delightful tearooms, a section of Moorgreen Woods, that I have passed by throughout the years, and one which always changes with the seasons, providing compositions everywhere to capture. Yet now that the swathes of Blue had gone, what was in sight? Well a woodland that just a few months ago was simply bare.

"Only a few months ago the Woodlands of Moorgreen were just bare, lacking in any colour, lacking in anything, life was asleep and yet fast forward nature once again has awoken, goodbye Bluebells for now, and hello to? What is that carpet of White and that unique smell? Ah - hello Wild Garlic, for you really do make the woodlands look magical and delightful after they were carpeted over with Bluebells."

And yes, it goes without saying that Wild Garlic, not only is incredibly photogenic but is actually incredibly tasty and delicious! Digression aside though and well yes, despite the bare woodlands of Winter now being gone, and the lack of any Bluebells, instead this part of woodland this time around was full of lush green scenes, with an entire carpet of Wild Garlic, and once again the woodlands in front of me, well they were nothing short of fine works of nature and indeed art. And below are the photos that I had captured.

"Lying Silently in Lush Spring Green."

"Follow the Carpet of White and Glow."

"Falling into a carpet of Spring White."

"Pathway through Spring and Wild Garlic."

"Shades and Elements, Delicate Spring."

"Woodland and Shining Green."

"Under the Shade and Canopy."

"The Spring Stare of Wild Garlic."

"Into the Spring City, Skyscrapers of Tree Trunks Grow."

"A White Carpet and Sculpture Gallery."

"One Woodland, Like a City Grows."

"Layers, Elements and Foliage. Artworks and Carpets a Glow."

"Spring and the Heart of Woodland."

"Woodland Heart Portrait Glow."

The Woodland Gallery of Spring Arts. For what I found whilst walking through the delightful woodlands at the side of Moorgreen Reservoir.

 

"Along the Autumn Pathway." - It was back in October of 2025 that I had captured the following photo and where was I when I took that photo? Well it was in a beautiful section of woodland that I shall simply describe as being something akin to the following,

"A Gallery of Sculpture, Arts, Colours and Layers, for this of course is the Woodland that is located next to Moorgreen Reservoir in Nottinghamshire, and the footpath through these woodlands takes you from Moorgreen to Felley Mill. But walk through these woodlands and you shall find and see a woodland that is spectacular throughout the year and throughout each season. For yes you can visit and walk around an Art Gallery, but hold on a moment, woodlands are art galleries, the only difference is that the art within a woodland, the sculpture within the woodland and the sounds, well they are all curated by nature and its intricate ways of providing those works of art."

For the last time I had visited the delightful "and beautiful woodland gem, that is the stretch of woodlands that run adjacent to Moorgreen Reservoir and links up with Felley Mill" was of course back in October of 2025 - back then of course the woodlands were putting on their beautiful final display of theatrical Autumn Colours, before Winter arrived and the woodland would have looked a little bit more bare. Fast forward of course to Spring 2026, and well a theatrical and beautiful array of artworks yet again with a certain "opulence of colour" have also made their return! But it was on Friday the 1st of May 2026 that it was time to re-visit the woodlands at the side of Moorgreen Reservoir, a location of course that throughout the years I have always enjoyed visiting, and a location that to me at least seems as if it really is a living art gallery. Yes, the Bluebells might be past their peak, but below are the photos that I captured of the delights of this glorious Woodland on the 1st of May 2026.

"Rest a While by the Banks of The Reservoir."

"Within Green, Lilac Glow."

"To Follow the Pathway through Spring."

"Just beginning, the Rhododendron Bloom."

"A Single Rhododendron Framed."

"Swathed in Arts of Woodland Glow."

"Light Seeps, Gentle With Woodland Glow."

"Elements, and Arts of Woodland Display."

"A Woodland Panorama Grows."

"Leading into Light and Art." 

"Sculpture under Blue."

"Where the last of the Bluebells Shine. Next to the Sculpture of Nature."

"As the rain of Green Leaves create a Frame of Light."

"Sculpture of the Woodland Floor."

"Within the Valley of Wild Garlic Glow."

"Besides the Stream, Within the Gallery of Woodland."

"Bankside of Wild Garlic."

"Serene Scene of Green and White, The Sculptures of Trees and Arts Collide."

"Where the Stream and Garlic Flow."

"Below the crafts of Art and Woodland Sculptures Rest."

"The Colony, Fungus Abstract." - (A little bit of an explanation into why I loved this composition. As I was walking along the footpath from the area not too far from Felley Mill, where of course The Wild Garlic is, I came across a section of tree that had fallen. On this tree/tree stump next to me, I noticed that there was quite a lot of Fungus growing, and there was just something else about its texture and form, that I just had to capture it. For really it was a work of nature that many other people would just ignore. To me it just proved that nature really does have an interesting way in creating intricate and delicate pieces of artwork, that force us into seeing things that we would not normally see, and tells us to slow down from the rushes of the modern world.)

"Under the Sculpture of Woodland Art."

"As they begin to Glow."

"Elements, And the Rhododendron Stare."