Stirling Council is making an appeal for information about heritage and veteran trees in Stirlingshire.

These are ancient, locally important trees or trees of unusual shape - trees that make you think ‘wow’.

The council needs to know where they are and their history, so they can be looked after properly.

There are many old trees with fascinating stories in the Stirling area.

The ancient, gnarled trees on Inchmahome, the island in the Lake of Menteith, are thought to have been planted around 1550-1600. They were growing there when the infant Mary Queen of Scots was hidden at Inchmahome Priory after the English victory at the battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547. Their twisted shapes now stand as a reminder of days long gone.

The council has this story because Mary Queen of Scots has been well-documented.

However there are other woods, for example Gallowhill Wood in Drymen, that little is known of. With a name like that, it probably has a fascinating history. Were any famous historical figures involved? There is an old oak in a clearing - is that significant?

For more info and to see whether your veteran or heritage tree has already been reported, go to www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk.