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30 baby names inspired by trees and woods

Looking for a tree-themed baby name to inspire a love for nature? Discover our favourite tree names for girls and boys, plus gender-neutral options.

Danielle Wesley  •  09 Apr 2024

Trees woods and wildlife

Early purple orchid

One of the first orchids to arrive during spring, the early purple orchid is a sight to behold.

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Winter picnics: hot food ideas and recipes

Keep warm on a winter picnic with our recipes and food ideas, including mulled apple juice, hot dogs, chilli pitta pockets and jacket potatoes.

Danielle Wesley  •  05 Jan 2023

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Our ambassadors

Our ambassadors help us stand up for trees. Find out all about them.

Visiting woods

Woodland Walks podcast

Explore our incredible woods with host Adam Shaw as he chats to the dedicated people behind these special places and meets nature-loving celebrities.

Visiting woods

Discover woods in winter

See a different side to the woods. Wrap up warm for a walk amongst impressive icicles, frosted landscapes and glorious sunsets. Follow tantalising animal tracks in the snow and cosy up on a bench with a flask of something hot.

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7 funny fungi names to help mushroom identification

The UK's 15,000 different fungi have a rich collection of fascinating, descriptive and hilarious names. Let’s take a look at some of the more eyebrow-raising.

Charlotte Varela  •  06 Jan 2023

Trees woods and wildlife

Help name our osprey chicks

Louis and Dorcha have raised two healthy chicks that are almost ready to take flight! We're ready to name them and we need your help. Choose your favourite name. 

Trees woods and wildlife

Song thrush

Famous for smashing open snails and for the sweet song which gives this bird its name. The song thrush was once a common sight in UK woodland, but is sadly in decline.

Trees woods and wildlife

Buckthorn, purging

Prickly and with the ability to purge. This plant’s common name harks back its use as a laxative. It’s a fierce, invasive species in North America.

Trees woods and wildlife

Wayfaring tree

A welcome sign you’re homeward bound, the wayfaring tree is so named because it grows close to paths. Look for them in hedges and woodland edges, with full bloom in the spring and heavy with berries in the autumn.

Trees woods and wildlife

Turtle dove

Named after its 'tur tur' call, the turtle dove is romantic, enigmatic, and at risk. It nests in shrubs and trees and feeds on the seeds of crops and woodland plants.

Trees woods and wildlife

Deadly nightshade

Attractive, psychoactive, dangerous. Found in scrub and woodland, the deadly nightshade lives up to its name. Though highly poisonous, it feeds woodland animals and even has medicinal properties.

Trees woods and wildlife

King Alfred’s cakes

Tiny fungi with an embarrassing story, King Alfred’s cakes are named after the king’s poor baking skills.

Trees woods and wildlife

Coal tit

The tiniest of tits with dull grey feathers to match its name. The coal tit is a frequent visitor to bird feeders across the UK.

Press centre

Dalkeith named heritage tree hotspot as experts record 500 “living legends”

Dalkeith Country Park in Midlothian has been revealed as a heritage tree hotspot after experts recorded 500 ancient, veteran and notable oaks over the last year.

Trees woods and wildlife

Willow, crack

Scruffy and loud, the crack willow is named after its habit of splitting with cracks and fissures, and how noisy its branches are when they break. It’s one of the largest willows and its leaves are popular with moth caterpillars.

Trees woods and wildlife

Pear, Plymouth

Rare, charming, foul-smelling. Plymouth pear was named after where it was found in the 1800s. Its fruit feeds wildlife, and its blossom, though beautiful, has quite a smell.

Trees woods and wildlife

Hawthorn

Named after the month in which it blooms and a sign that spring is turning to summer. The pale green leaves of this hedgerow staple are often the first to appear in spring, with an explosion of pretty pale-pink blossom in May. It simply teems with wildlife from bugs to birds.

Trees woods and wildlife

Meadowsweet

Sweet by name, sweet by nature. Meadowsweet might not be to everyone’s taste, but you’re unlikely to mistake the sickly sweet and frothy flower in damp woodland and bubbling out of damp ditches.

Trees woods and wildlife

Mistle thrush

Britain’s largest songbird. Renowned for defending its food supply. Named for its love of mistletoe berries.

Trees woods and wildlife

Beechwood sickener

Toxic, brittle, red-capped. Beechwood sickener is only found in beech woodland and help beech trees take up nutrients from the soil.

Trees woods and wildlife

Common inkcap

Sticky and useful, inkcaps were used as a source of ink for important documents to guard against forgeries.

Trees woods and wildlife

Common gorse

With bright, beaming yellow flowers with the scent of coconut, common gorse is a sight to behold.

Blog

Seven edible weeds: foraging in your garden

If you're a fan of foraging but missing roaming the woods and hedgerows right now, go in search of some edible plants that are closer to home. Here are seven edible garden weeds to look out for.

Helen Keating  •  23 Apr 2020

Blog

Types of moss in the UK: what they are and where to find them

Moss is marvellous! Find out why and see some common species to spot.

Kate Lewthwaite  •  30 Jul 2018

Trees woods and wildlife

Lime, large-leaved

Towering, romantic, sticky. Large-leaved lime is a handsome broadleaf tree that is a rich home for wildlife. Find out more.

Trees woods and wildlife

Box, common

A native evergreen that’s at home in your garden. Box is so special it’s got a hill named after it. Box Hill in Surrey takes its name from the ancient box woodland on its steep chalk slopes.

Trees woods and wildlife

Gatekeeper

Named for its rigorous patrol of hedges and woodland rides, the gatekeeper butterfly is a prime pollinator. Look for them sipping nectar on sunny days in the summer.

Trees woods and wildlife

Dead man’s fingers

Swollen, blackened ‘fingers’ reaching for the sky. Aptly named, dead man’s fingers can be a spooky-looking find.

Trees woods and wildlife

Redwing

Named after its rouge underwings, the redwing is the smallest thrush in the UK. A social nomad, this berry-loving bird only visits over the winter months, with just a handful of breeding pairs staying here all year round.

Trees woods and wildlife

Oak bracket

Though it oozes a honey-like liquid, the oak bracket has a few less tantalising names. It lives off the heartwood of living trees as well as on deadwood. Also known as weeping conk and warted oak polypore, they belong to a group called butt rot fungi.

Trees woods and wildlife

Aspen

Trembling, fluttering and shimmering in the slightest breeze. The rippling leaves of this beautiful tree give it its name: quaking aspen.

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Wildflower quiz: name these 10 common wildflowers

Can you name these ten common British wildflowers? Test your wildflower knowledge with our quiz.

Helen Keating  •  11 Apr 2019