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Bluebell survey 2007

Bluebell survey 2007

by Angus, 24 April, 2007, 5 comments

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

A cup of nettle tea

by Hallvord, 19 April, 2007, 52 comments

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

Trout tickling

by Ron, 17 April, 2007, 38 comments

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

How to light a fire without matches

by Annette, 11 April, 2007, 9 comments

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. Read more...
Rhododendron ponticum

Rhododendron ponticum

by Lewis, 4 April, 2007, 6 comments

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...
King Alfred's Cake

King Alfred’s Cake

by Angus, 29 March, 2007, 26 comments

Walking through a woodland you will often see ash trees with black blobs on them, usually on dead branches or on branches that have fallen off the tree. This has several names including coal fungus or cramp balls or King Alfred's cakes.  These hard, semi-spherical black lumps are usually about 3-4 cm in diameter and are the fruiting bodies of a fungus, which decays the dead wood of the ash tree. The photo shows the inside of one of these pictured on a log in my back garden - not on an ash tree. Legend has it that King Alfred, Read more...
Hedgehogs & Phenology

Hedgehogs & Phenology

by Chris, 14 March, 2007, 7 comments

Last year, a post in the woodlands blog commented on the decline in the hedgehog population. Sadly, these last few months have done little to help Hedgehogs. Tiggywinkles has taken in hundreds of disoriented and weakened hedgehogs since last September. The winter has not been cold enough for them to hibernate (which they normally do between late December Read more...
The birds and bees

The birds and bees

by Tom, 1 March, 2007, 0 comments

The first blog in February talked about the revival of interest in Phenology over the last few years. Already this year is providing interesting phenological facts and figures.   January has proved to be the warmest in the UK since 1916; there was 17% more sunshine and 21% more rain than normal. Read more...

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