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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, 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.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Elm, English
Once growing to lofty heights, the elegant English elm used to dominate the landscape. Now this ancient symbol of melancholy and death is a rare sight, having been decimated by Dutch elm disease.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Monkey puzzle
Distinctive and spiky, the monkey puzzle has been making strong impressions since dinosaurs roamed the earth. These days, jays and squirrels feast on its nuts.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Spruce, Norway
Festive, useful, squirrel food. Made popular by Prince Albert, Norway spruce is a familiar non-native, with friendly winter colour and a value to native wildlife.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Spruce, Sitka
Imposing, aged, useful. The Sitka spruce accounts for around half of commercial plantations, and though it’s not as valuable as our native trees, it shelters birds and small mammals.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Hemlock, western
Dense and graceful, the western hemlock is a handsome tree with drooping branches of soft needles. Introduced in the 1800s, the tree casts such heavy shade that not much can live beneath it.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Brown rat
A contentious character but as resourceful as they come, the brown rat arrived in the UK in the 18th century and has been a crafty resident of our towns, cities and woods ever since.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Lynx
These solitary, stealthy hunters are currently extinct in the UK, but some advocates of rewilding would like to see them return.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Natterer’s bat
Foliage foragers and cave-dwelling contortionists, these ‘red-armed bats’ are expert hunters and can squeeze themselves into the tightest of spaces.