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8 enchanting rainforests to explore in the UK
UK rainforests are even rarer than their tropical counterparts, and just as beautiful. Brimming with wildlife, entwined with local history and overflowing with magic, here are eight of the best to explore.
Charlotte Varela • 12 Mar 2025
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Trees woods and wildlife
Ancient woodland
Home to myth and legend, where folk tales began. It fuelled our ancestors and still houses thousands of species. Ancient woodland has grown and adapted with native wildlife, yet what remains only covers 2.5% of the UK.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Wood blewit
Pastel-toned and edible with a magical twist. Wood blewit has a blue to violet-tinged cap and gills when young, with pale pink spores. It sometimes grows in circles called ‘fairy rings’, which can appear overnight and were once thought to indicate that magic was at work.
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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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Trees woods and wildlife
Dunnock
More than just a little brown job. Dunnocks may not be the most glamorous of birds, but there is more to this species than meets the eye, especially when it comes to mating.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Bullfinch
Shy but striking. Bullfinches bring a brilliant burst of colour to the UK’s woods. The species depends on trees for much of its food, feeding on seeds and buds.
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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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Trees woods and wildlife
Blue ground beetle
Rare jewel. Treetop adventurer. The blue ground beetle is found at just a handful of sites in England and Wales, scaling trees under cover of darkness in search of slugs.
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Trees woods and wildlife
House martin
Skilled architects with a penchant for moulding mud. House martins visit the UK to breed during the summer months. Named as such because they often nest on the side of houses, these small birds are sadly in decline.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Dark-edged bee-fly
Masquerading as a bumblebee, this agile mimic is a lover of all things nectar. Look out for it buzzing from flower to flower on warm, sunny days.