A FAIRY thorn which `guards the grave of an evil wizard' is one of six contenders vying for the title of Northern Ireland's Tree of the Year.
The six trees have been shortlisted by the Woodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity.
Three of the trees are located in Co Derry - the 'Bishop's Tree' in the grounds of Lumen Christi College; 'The Giant's Grave Thorn' in a field in the townland of Slaughtaverty, near Garvagh; and the 'Spanish chestnut' at Hezlett House in Castlerock.
The 'Giant Sequoia' in Castlewellan Forest Park, with 19 trunks and dating back more than 150 years, makes the shortlist, as does the 'Turkey oak' at Ballymenoch Park in Holywood, Co Down.
The 'Fairy Thorn', at Blythe Street in the Sandy Row area of south Belfast, completes the list.
A children's play area sits around the tree in the Fairy Thorn Garden, surrounded by images of fairies on walls and railings.
The hawthorn grew in the garden of a terraced house and a local campaign was launched to preserve it in the 1980s after the site was initially earmarked to become part of a public housing development.
Patrick Cregg, from the Woodland Trust, said: "From factual history to tales of highwaymen and fairy folklore, each has a fantastic story to tell.
"This competition is just one way of putting our precious trees in the spotlight, giving them the attention they deserve.
"By reminding people of their value, we hope they will to continue to thrive for future generations."
Voting opens this morning at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/treeoftheyear and closes on October 7.
The winning tree will be the recipient of a 'tree care award' of £1,000 and the selected tree from each of the four UK regions will be whittled down to one to go forward to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year award.
