Search our site

Blog

Can you eat crab apples? Three favourite crab apple recipes

With their terrifically tart and tangy flavour, crab apples are a favourite foraged food.

Helen Keating  •  24 Oct 2018

Blog

Raw rosehip syrup: how to make and use

Rosehips really became popular during World War II when fresh produce was scarce. Here are our tips for finding and cooking up these surprisingly tasty fruits.

George Anderson  •  31 Jul 2019

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 Sep 2024

Visiting woods

Nature's Calendar

Help monitor the effects of climate change on wildlife near you. Your records contribute to a growing body of evidence on global warming.

Blog

When to pick sloes and how to make sloe gin

It's traditional to make sloe gin in autumn, ready for the coming winter. Here's an easy and delicious recipe for you to try, with our top sloe picking tips. It takes a couple of months to mature, so if you make it soon it'll be ready by Christmas.

Helen Keating  •  15 Sep 2020

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

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

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.