Mystery leaf man's name must be Russell

He is more leaf than Water of Leith.

• Rafal Szymanski takes a seat next to the mystery man

Residents and passers-by are being entertained by a man made entirely of foliage as he watches the world from a park bench next to the Water of Leith in Stockbridge.

Perhaps a local artist's attempt at a Gormley-type statue, the leaf man is hidden away, minding his own business near Belford Bridge.

The foliage fellow, dressed in green wellies, a flat cap and with a coffee cup in hand, has been amusing passers-by, who have taken photographs of the jolly sculpture and are wondering who the artist might be.

One photographer posted her snaps of the leaf man on website flickr, saying: "I found this chap sitting on the park bench overlooking The Water of Leith just as you reach Stockbridge.

"Fantastic sculpture, created anonymously by an artist with an obvious sense of humour. Love stuff like this."

Passers-by were yesterday also keen to share his bench, whether it was to pose for photographs or have a natter.

Rafal Szymanski, 35, from Stockbridge, said: "He's very original. This is the first time I've spotted him. He looks scarily real from a distance. I have no idea who made him."

A second walker added: "I've sat next to him a couple of times. He seems like quite a solid fellow to me. I've aired my problems to him. He's full of wisdom."

A worker at a coffee shop on Stockbridge High Street revealed even more about the leafy local.

She said: "We've known about the artwork for a couple of months. In summer somebody had dressed him in clothes, but now it's just a cap and wellies. He looks great."

There was more good news for statues across the Capital today as the council finished giving three of the city's most celebrated 19th century citizens a makeover.

Statues of explorer and missionary David Livingstone; former Lord Provost Adam Black; and anti-reformist and author Professor John Wilson, which all stand in East Princes Street Gardens, have been spruced up.

The trio of bronze monuments have been scrubbed, re-patinated and given a new layer of protective wax in the 16,550 project.