Broadleaf spring issue: secrets of the soil

At last, spring is settling in, and a brand new Broadleaf is winging its way to Trust members nationwide.

Inside, we explore a Cornish ravine rainforest, delve into the mysterious habits of migrating birds, and unearth the dazzling range of strange and beautiful flora that only ancient woods can sustain. All topped off by a full-page interview with Hollywood legend and Magic Faraway Tree star Andrew Garfield. Phew!

Ancient woods: secrets of the soil

Herb-paris, yellow archangel, water avens, woodruff. These curious and particular plants only show up if conditions are just right, and they thrive in the undisturbed soils of woods that are at least 400 years old. In our Big Read feature this spring, discover:

• the miniature wood we’ll create at the Chelsea Flower Show this May with award-winning gardener Ashleigh Aylett, who has painstakingly recreated the rare mix of flowers, ferns and grasses found in ancient woodland
• how the Trust carefully restores ancient woods planted with non-native conifers, removing ‘crop’ trees to allow sunlight back onto the woodland floor. In time this allows the special native flora to make a glorious comeback
• which ancient woodland flowers could potentially suit your garden, and which to choose to attract butterflies and songbirds.

Why fly? The changing habits of migratory birds

In ancient times, people believed redstarts somehow morphed into robins each winter, and Victorians thought swallows hid in ponds when the cold months hit. These days we’re more clued up, but the picture keeps changing. In our Nature Focus feature, we discuss:

• why the iconic call of the cuckoo no longer defines the start of spring – and the multi-faceted factors behind their decline
• the surprising impact of kindly Brits who lay on fatballs and birdseed in their gardens – including a boom in the number of blackcaps recorded each year
• how abandoning the fringes of a Trust wood to nature encouraged rare nightingales to move in: they love the dense scrubby thickets that shield them from predators.

And there’s more…

Roam through our news pages to discover a watchful lynx, a sinuous adder – and the tale of how tree lovers joined forces to make a difference to the wildlife-rich habitat on their doorstep. Not to mention…

• Spiderman star Andrew Garfield on his favourite wild places, why trees inspire ancient magic and how 21st-century tech can be bad for the soul
• our spring walk, which starts beside the sea near Bude in Cornwall and explores Millook, a valley rainforest full of legends and life
• Ramscombe Coppice, our new wood in Worcestershire, where we’re flexing our restoration work to suit the many resident badgers!

There's also a report on the seed hunters and tree nurseries determined to beat biosecurity threats, and a cheering piece on how a new funding regime for Welsh farms will deliver for nature. All this and more in the latest edition of Broadleaf, free to members of the Woodland Trust.