A photographer has captured a striking image of new life growing in the New Forest just months after a devastating fire.
Rob Dove lives in Southampton and regularly visits the New Forest to take photographs of its woodland and wildlife.
On Tuesday, October 6, he photographed a vibrant green fern growing against the blackened earth, offering a glimpse of nature's recovery after the blaze.
The 63-year-old travelled to the area near Bratley View car park at sunrise, hoping to capture the landscape in the mist.
He said: “I was staggered about how nature just suddenly rebounded so quickly.”
The keen photographer said he had returned to the area several times since the fire to document the damage and see how the woodland was recovering.
More than 247 acres of the national park were destroyed after the fire broke out on August 9, Forestry England said.
The government agency found areas devoid of vegetation, dead wildlife and scorched bogs in an initial inspection of the damage.
It said it would take decades for the environment to fully recover.
When Rob took his most recent pictures, he positioned his tripod close to the ground to isolate the fern against the dark background, using the fog to create a minimalist image.
Rob said the contrast between the fresh green growth and the scorched surroundings made the photograph particularly striking.
He said he had to slightly reduce the saturation during editing because the colours looked almost unreal, but stressed that the image had not been created using artificial intelligence or by moving anything around.
The new growth has offered some encouragement after the devastating blaze, but Rob said signs of the damage remain visible across the affected area.
During a visit a couple of weeks earlier, he noticed footprints left by firefighters and the lingering smell of the fire.
He also spotted trees with brown leaves that appeared to have been damaged by the heat.
Rob said: “It's quite sad really, because not only the trees, but all the other reptiles and wildlife that would have perished with the fire.”
However, he praised firefighters for preventing the blaze from spreading further into the ancient woodland, including areas containing beech and oak trees.
Rob said the boundary between the scorched area and unaffected woodland was particularly noticeable.
He added that the photograph had received positive responses online, with people saying the signs of regrowth had cheered them up.
A former aerospace industry worker, Rob took early retirement to spend more time pursuing his passion for photography. He has sold prints at local craft markets and previously had his work featured by The Times and The Guardian.
He is planning to spend a week exploring the New Forest during October hoping to capture the changing autumn colours.
