Respect for the elder
We focus on the unassuming elder, which despite maintaining a low profile throughout much of the year, bursts into life in spring and fills the Forest with a glorious display of white flowers.
The ‘bells are calling……
There are few sights guaranteed to make the heart sing more sweetly than a vibrant blanket of bluebells stretching across a woodland floor.
Benefits of the blackthorn
It is perhaps understandable that the blackthorn has such a mixed reputation, as its face changes markedly throughout the year. As spring approaches, the blackthorn’s branches are briefly swathed in a dense covering of the most vibrant white blossom, giving it a joyous and benevolent facade. The winter sees its leaves turn yellow and fall off, leaving a stark and twisted black skeleton exposed.
Hairstreak egg-citement
Have you ever seen a brown hairstreak? I mean the butterfly that is, and not the result of a close encounter with a seagull on your summer holidays! Very few people have; even devoted lepidopterists (a person who studies butterflies and moths) may go years without seeing one. For most people living in the Midlands, the brown hairstreak (Thecla betulae) is an exceptionally rare butterfly and is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species for conservation due to its continued decline.
More space for trees
The Heart of England Forest is pleased to announce the acquisition of two new parcels of land located at Arrow and Newnham, enabling the charity to continue to grow England’s largest new native broadleaf Forest.