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Blog
Poisonous mushrooms: 8 most dangerous UK mushrooms
Your guide to 8 of the most poisonous mushrooms in the UK, including the terrifyingly named deathcap, destroying angel and funeral bell. Find out where they grow, how to identify them and why you should steer clear!
Hanako Shimada • 19 Feb 2025
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Blog
Best native hedge plants: choose the right hedges
Autumn and winter are the best times to plant a hedge. To get you started, here are our top 10 recommendations for the best native hedge plants and the amazing benefits they'll bring.
Helen Keating • 23 May 2023
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Blog
9 carnivorous plants to spot in the UK
Did you know there are carnivorous plants in the UK? Take a look at some of the predatory and parasitic plants you could spot in our woods and wetlands.
Charlotte Varela • 28 Jun 2023
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Blog
13 hardy plants for your garden
Our pick of hardy plants and trees perfect for any outdoor space. From pretty annual flowers to hard-working, long-lasting evergreens, they're all hardy to at least -15C.
Charlie Mellor • 07 Mar 2024
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Blog
Why are plants important? 7 reasons why we need them
Plants are essential for people, wildlife and the environment. Explore how they provide for pollinators, boost mental health, fight climate change and more.
Chris Britt-Searle • 28 Jun 2024
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Blog
Are bluebells poisonous? And more bluebell facts
Find out all about bluebells, including if they’re poisonous, when to see them and lots of other bluebell facts.
Hannah Vickers • 06 Apr 2020
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Support us
Get inspired by William Shakespeare
Discover the trees and plants in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Plants
Visit any wood and you'll find a high diversity of flowering plants, ferns and mosses. From spectacular wildflower carpets to damp-loving ferns and mysterious mosses.
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Blog
Elephant hawk-moth: caterpillar, lifecycle and is it poisonous?
Elephant hawk-moths are big, bright and very, very beautiful. But what do elephant hawk-moth caterpillars look like, where does their name come from, and are they poisonous?
Charlotte Varela • 08 Jul 2024
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Blog
Foraging in April: edible wild plants to harvest
April is the time to look out for fresh new greens and herbs to give your food a seasonal springtime boost. Here are seven easy-to-identify edible herbs and plants to look out for.
Helen Keating • 27 Apr 2023
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Blog
Foraging in June: edible flowers, plants and herbs
From fresh flowers to tender leaves, here are some edible plants to forage in June. These are my top tips on where to find them, and how to turn them into something tasty.
Helen Keating • 24 Jun 2021
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Position statement
Moving plants and animals for conservation
The Woodland Trust follows and endorses the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines on conservation translocations.
PDF (386 KB)
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Blog
Life cycle of a plant: seeds, shoots and roots
Plant lives have a beginning and end just like ours. Here's a roundup of the different stages plants go through, from a new seed to eventual death.
Sally Bavin • 02 Mar 2021
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Blog
Foraging in May: a guide to wild herbs and other edible plants
Find out which wild plants you can forage in May. Learn about edible plants with our quick identification guide and tips on how to find, eat and prepare them.
Helen Keating • 08 May 2019
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Blog
Foraging in September: edible wild plants and berries to look out for
Ten edible wild plants and mushrooms to forage for in September, with tips on what to look for and how to gather and eat them.
Rory Morrow • 25 Sept 2024
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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.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Lily-of-the-valley
Charming, sweetly scented and highly poisonous, lily-of-the-valley is a romantic woodland stunner.
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Protecting trees and woods
Government’s nature recovery plans in England fall short
Government plans to halt nature’s decline in England by 2030 don't go far enough. We need more meaningful action to save our wildlife and environment.
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Press centre
The Woodland Trust Northern Ireland plants 250,000 trees at Woodburn Reservoir
The Woodland Trust has been working in partnership with Northern Ireland Water on a regreening programme since 2020. During that time, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity has planted around 476,000 native trees on Northern Ireland Water’s land.
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Blog
Foraging in March: spring's edible plants
Spring has arrived and the woods and hedgerows are about to burst with edible spring greens, shoots and flowers. Find out which ones you can eat and what to do with them.
Helen Keating • 28 Mar 2018
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Trees woods and wildlife
Common earthball
Warty, poisonous, explosive. Common earthball might look like a potato, but it is not for eating.
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Press centre
GB plant biosecurity strategy is a missed opportunity
The Government today published its Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain. Read our reaction.
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Blog
Halloween quiz: trick or treat?
From healing herbs to deadly concoctions, woodland plants can both cure and poison. Dare to test your knowledge with our trick-or-treat Halloween quiz.
Rory Morrow • 22 Oct 2025
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Blog
Foraging in February: mushrooms, nettles and early flowers
Even in February, green shoots and early spring flowers are starting to appear. And they’re growing quickly. Here are some spring plants and winter fungi to look out for.
Helen Keating • 22 Feb 2018
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Press centre
Politicians plant six millionth tree of the Northern Forest
A host of dignitaries joined together to plant the six millionth tree of the Northern Forest, marking five years since the start of the ambitious project to link up Liverpool and Hull with trees.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Woodland wildlife
The UK's native woods and trees support a great diversity of living organisms. Our species guides explore the wildlife that depends on woodland, from plants and fungi to mammals, birds, bees and beetles.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Foxglove
Beautiful but deadly. This familiar flower has the power to cure and kill.
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Blog
Foraging in November and December: edible wild plants
Don't be put off by short days and cold, damp weather as winter arrives. There are still wild foraging treats to brighten your days. Here are some favourites.
Rory Morrow • 26 Nov 2024
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Blog
Christmas nature quiz
Test your knowledge of the plants and animals connected with our festive traditions.
Charlie Mellor • 11 Dec 2024
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Blog
British trees and shrubs to plant: 14 native garden trees
British trees pack a big punch in your garden. Make space for one or two you’ll have year-round interest and be supporting wildlife too. Here's our top 14 native trees to plant in your garden.
Helen Keating • 08 Nov 2021
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Trees woods and wildlife
Mistletoe
Romantic, parasitic and poisonous, mistletoe loves broadleaf trees and provides an important habitat for woodland wildlife. Its leathery green leaves offer welcome colour among bare winter branches when much else is dormant.
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Blog
Foraging at Easter: make a wreath and other home decorations
Brighten up your home and bring spring indoors with these easy ideas for Easter decorations using wild foraged plants.
Helen Keating • 07 Apr 2022
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Trees woods and wildlife
Temperate rainforest
Also known as Atlantic or Celtic rainforest, this special habitat is incredibly rare. Its lush conditions are perfect for scarce plants, lichens and fungi, as well as a number of unusual animals.
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Blog
Early spring flowers quiz: 12 flowering plants and shrubs
Want to identify blooms spotted on a refreshing woodland walk or bring some early colour to your garden? Take our quiz to discover some of the most common early flowerers.
Charlie Mellor • 16 Feb 2026
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Trees woods and wildlife
Dog’s mercury
A poisonous coloniser of ancient woodland, dog’s mercury is quick to sweep over the wood floor, sometimes outcompeting more delicate ancient woodland species.
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Blog
Foraging in August: find food this summer
Blackberries, rowan berries and crab apples are all ripening this month. Here are six wild edible plants to collect with top tips and recipes on how to use them.
Helen Keating • 15 Aug 2017
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Blog
Foraging in July: nature's best summer food for foraging
Here are our top six edible wild plants to look out for in July, with tips on what to look for and how to harvest, cook and eat them.
Helen Keating • 08 Jul 2021
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Blog
Why do nettles sting? And do dock leaves really help?
Stinging nettles can be a hazard on summer walks. Learn why these plants inflict their itchy stings and whether dock leaves really do help.
Laura Cottam • 15 May 2019
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Journal
Wood Wise – forest flora
The spring 2018 issue of Wood Wise focuses on woodland ground flora – the wildflowers and plants that need protection and sensitive management.
PDF (2.82 MB)
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Blog
9 rare and beautiful wild UK orchids
Orchids are some of the most beautiful and unique wild plants you'll see in the UK. They are rare but well worth finding if you are up for the challenge.
Laura Cottam • 29 May 2019