A Scots pine which is the summer home of the country’s most famous feathered visitor is in the running to be crowned the best tree in Europe.
Having already won the Scottish version of the contest in 2014, Lady’s Tree at the Scottish Wildlife Trust Loch of the Lowes visitor centre and reserve is now up against contenders from all over the continent.
The Woodland Trust Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust are urging the public to back the nation’s entry in the competition, which they have dubbed the “arboricultural equivalent of the Eurovision Song Contest”.
The Scots pine is the summer home of the UK’s oldest breeding osprey, known as Lady.
Since first nesting at Loch of the Lowes in 1990 she has laid 71 eggs and fledged 50 chicks.
European Tree of the Year is run by the Environmental Partnership Organisation.
Other finalists in the competition include an Italian olive tree from which oil has been harvested for about 200 years and Nottingham’s Major Oak, which according to local legend was a hiding place for Robin Hood and his Merry Men.
Carol Evans, director of the Woodland Trust Scotland, said: “Lady’s Tree was a very worthy winner of Scottish Tree of the Year as it shows how important trees are for biodiversity.
“It provides a home to a wide range of species, including red squirrels, as well as the celebrity osprey.
“There are lots of great reasons to vote for Lady’s Tree. It’s been at the heart of the drive to bring back ospreys to Scotland for quarter of a century, and as a Scots pine it is our national tree.”
Jonny Hughes, chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: “This iconic Scots pine is very much part of a wider conservation success story.
“Ospreys were extinct in Scotland but through dedicated conservation efforts such as that undertaken by staff and volunteers at Loch of the Lowes every year, the population in Scotland is thriving once again.”
Members of the public can vote at www.treeoftheyear.org until Saturday, February 28.
The result of the competition will be announced on Thursday, March 5.