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Blog
Outdoor Christmas activities for families
Get out into nature this Christmas and enjoy some festive activities with your family on a woodland walk.
Danielle Wesley • 13 Dec 2021
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Trees woods and wildlife
Willow, grey
A soft, silvery lover of damp woodland, the grey willow is a bit scruffy but full of charm. Caterpillars flock to feed on its leaves and its fuzzy catkins are an early pollen source for pollinators.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Eucalyptus
Pleasant smelling, antiseptic, highly flammable. Eucalyptus might be the favourite of koalas in its native Australia, but in the UK it is insects which are drawn to its rich oil.
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Blog
12 rare wild flowers in the UK's woods
Woodlands are home to some of the UK's rarest wild flowers. From parasitic plants to alluring orchids, discover 12 rare woodland flowers and what makes them so uncommon.
Charlotte Varela • 13 May 2025
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Blog
Hawthorn and blackthorn: what’s the difference?
Hawthorn and blackthorn are two of the most easily confused species, so here’s a closer look at their differences to help you tell them apart.
Charlie Mellor • 09 Apr 2019
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Trees woods and wildlife
Yorkshire fog grass
Beautiful but unpalatable, Yorkshire fog grass glows a gentle purple in meadows and wasteland alike. It’s not a favourite with livestock, but is eaten by the caterpillars of the small skipper.
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Blog
6 fast growing trees for your garden
Looking for screening, privacy or just want to green up your garden quickly? Check out our recommendations for a fast growing native tree to suit your space.
Charlie Mellor • 20 Sep 2024
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Trees woods and wildlife
Whitebeam, Arran
Rare, rugged, isolated. Arran whitebeam is one of the rarest and most endangered trees in the world. It is a hybrid of rowan and rock whitebeam which has stayed on the Isle of Arran since the last glaciers were formed.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Willow, osier
Strong, neat and bendy, osier willow is the best of the best for basket weaving. It’s not only a source of food and shelter for native wildlife, it can even decontaminate soils it is planted on!
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Trees woods and wildlife
Lesser spotted woodpecker
Secretive tree-top dweller. The lesser spotted is our smallest, and rarest, woodpecker. These woodland specialists are one of the UK’s fastest-declining bird species.