Spring has a habit of creeping up on you, the hazy blush of green around the branches gradually increasing and taking form, until one day you are surrounded by young vibrant leaves full of new life and promise. It’s a gradual process, yet as we...
During a spell of sparkling weather in February a few hints of Spring began to show in Houndtor Wood. This south facing sun trap was once an ancient woodland, part of the network of Atlantic ‘temperate rainforest’ that is native to the western side of...
First thanks to all of you who turned out on 2nd of March when I was away and to Bev and Jay for the photos and filling in the details of your excellent work. Eight of you Bev, Brian, Chris and John Hunt, Richard, George,...
Anyone visiting the Halls Cleave area of Fingle Woods over the last few months will no doubt have noticed the new “leaky dams” that have appeared along the bottom of the valley. These human-built structures are designed to hold back the water and release it...
First thanks to the two Brians, John and Chris, not forgetting Abbie who were able to come on Wednesday 20th and plant the 75 trees (Hazel, Alder, Holly and Field Maple) The trees should go some way to screen us from the new house if this...
Ancient woodland is a cherished and finite resource and, when the woodland restoration project started at Fingle Woods, it set out to turn around the losses of semi-natural woodland that took place in the 20th Century. The Forestry Commission states that, “between the 1930s and the...
The cancelled Working Party on the 3rd was a very wise step. Even when the 4 inches of snow had gone the paths on the wood were still very slippery. It is interesting to note that we cancelled the same session last year. However the...
Ants are the most numerous creatures on the planet and there are many millions of them living in Fingle Woods, but why is the species of red wood ant (Formica rufa) such an important part of our woodland ecosystem? These wood ants that build the...
Despite the cold and the rain, the Alder and Hazel catkins along the lanes are full of promise and hope: Spring is on its way! At the half way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox is Imbolc; the Celtic festival that celebrated...
All the leaves were down and the sky was grey, we went for a soils walk on a winter’s day… On the East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve we joined soil specialist, Rob Parkinson, to look at what is going on below the leaves – in...