Blog - Flora & Fauna

Tree planting - the essentials

Tree planting – the essentials

by Richard, 1 November, 2007, 8 comments

Even though large-scale tree planting (more than 5 acres) will have been organised by this time of year (beginning of Nov) it’s not too late to organise planting for smaller areas of up to one acre. The following guidelines should help with such planting schemes and a vision of the future mature woodland. Read more...

Sloe Gin

by Tom, 26 October, 2007, 105 comments

After the first frosts is the traditional time for picking your supply of sloes. The fruit is just about ripe now and late October/early November is a good time to pick if you want something to round off your Christmas dinner. Read more...

Ahead By A Squeak – A survey of Britain’s bats

Ahead By A Squeak – A survey of Britain’s bats

by catherine, 26 October, 2007, 1 comments

Good news for bats in the run up to Halloween. The Bat Conservation Trust has won funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund for a 4-year programme of conservation activities. Read more...

Changing Colours – Why do leaves change colour in the autumn?

Changing Colours – Why do leaves change colour in the autumn?

by Chris, 19 October, 2007, 7 comments

Come the autumn, the leaves of many deciduous trees change colour – no longer green they turn yellow, brown, red or purple. What has happened? Read more...

Local Adaptation in the Land Snail, Cepaea nemoralis

Local Adaptation in the Land Snail, Cepaea nemoralis

by Simit, 19 October, 2007, 4 comments

Cepaea nemoralis (also known as the Banded Snail) is the most colourful and variable snail in the UK. It occupies a range of habitats including woodland, grassland, hedgerows and garden shrubs. The most striking feature of this snail is its array of shell colours and banding patterns. They can be yellow, pink or brown and can have up to five horizontal bands across their shells. Read more...

Old and Fat - The Ancient Tree Hunt

Old and Fat – The Ancient Tree Hunt

by Chris, 5 October, 2007, 3 comments

Supported by The Woodland Trust , the The Ancient Tree Hunt aims to create a database of Britain’s historically important trees. We know where our historic buildings are, but we have no proper record of our ancient trees, despite having the largest number of these in Northern Europe. The Woodland Trust is asking for help from the public to record these venerable relics of Britain’s past. Read more...

The wildwood and onwards

The wildwood and onwards

by Chris, 5 October, 2007, 4 comments

The New Stone Age or Neolithic Period saw the development of settlements and farming. The transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer began and gradually spread across Britain. The construction of settlements and the adoption of farming (a practice that probably began some 10,000 years earlier in the Fertile Crescent) involved the clearing of woodland or forest. It was achieved with fire and the use of flint and polished stone axes. Pollen records suggest a decline between 4000 and 3000 BC in tree species such as ash and an increase in plants such as nettles and plantains. As ash tends to grow on the edges of woods, its decline could well be associated with the clearance of parts of the wildwood for agriculture, though it may also have disappeared because of disease. Read more...

Holly – a fodder crop!

Holly – a fodder crop!

by Chris, 27 September, 2007, 8 comments

We are familiar with holly (Ilex aquifoloium) as part of Christmas decorations, as a hedging plant, and its many varieties (variegated golden and white forms) as ornamental shrubs, but its use as animal fodder is perhaps less well known. Read more...

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