Little boxes. Big boxes

I was walking on Mickleham Downs this morning. Not a lot doing, but I was struck at how the Box varied in appearance. This very local plant is common here. You normally come across it in clumps looking like 'messy shrubs', although where it has grown to tree-like proportions it seems to ditch the lower branches (no doubt there isn't enough light for them to leaf) and become a different beast altogether. I took a few pictures to illustrate the point...

Box in the open, a collection of messy 'shrubs'
Mature Box. Note the lack of lower leafing branches and more tree-like appearance.
Baby Box at the base of a Beech

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