The Woodlands.co.uk Blog - April 2007
Old maps and woodlands
An old map lets you take a step back in time, revealing features of your woodland that might otherwise have been overlooked and explaining those mysterious lumps, bumps and hollows. Old maps can give tantalising glimpses into the history of the local landscape – water courses which have moved over the years, ponds which have been filled in, old roads, old paths and boundaries, agricultural and industrial buildings which now only exist as ruins. Read more…
Bluebell survey 2007
The Natural History Museum (in conjunction with the Ramblers’ Association and Plantlife) is again conducting a survey of Britain’s bluebell population. Our native bluebell is under threat due to breeding with a cultivated form. If you can help with the survey, visit the NHM website and record the details of the bluebells in your wood or garden online. Read more…
A cup of nettle tea
The first shoots of young nettles, Urtica dioica, are very good for cooking both soups (see recipe in wild food post) and tea. According to several sources it is also good nutritionally: a source of iron, calcium and folic acid. Read more…
Trout tickling
There can be much free food to be found in your woodlands, and the menu could be augmented with fresh fish, if you can master the art of trout tickling!
When you are walking along the banks of a stream or small river you will often startle a trout and it is likely to swim underneath the bank. If you lie, face down Read more…
How to light a fire without matches
Preparation, preparation, preparation! Before any attempt at lighting a fire takes place, you would be wise to prepare all your materials first. When I light a fire I always follow these steps, which have never failed me yet.
Rhododendrum Ponticum
There are many hundreds of species of Rhododendron, many of which produce impressive floral displays. They belong to the plant family known as the Ericaceae, which includes the azaleas, heathers, cranberries, and blueberries. Plants in this family can form mycorrhizae. These are symbiotic root associations with fungi; these help in the uptake of minerals, which probably explains why such plants can compete successfully in poor soils.
Read more…