We are in the 200th year since the Granite Tramway from the Haytor Quarries to Ventiford Basin on the Stover Canal was opened as Devon’s first railroad on Dartmoor. It was an incredible engineering achievement rolling 7 miles across the landscape and, unusually, its rails were...
As we walk through Fingle Woods today, it is a good time to remember and reflect on what has been achieved through more than five years of the ‘Bringing Fingle Woods Back to Life’ project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. In the early...
While we still have not had all the remaining Covid restrictions lifted the good news is that the tidal wave of visitors and poop bags has declined and we are now almost back to pre-Covid levels of visitors and the wood is looking (and smelling!)...
The Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest (P&SD Community Forest) will stretch from the heart of the city to the edge of the moor, encompassing 1,900 hectares of land to form a mosaic of different forest habitats. The Woodland Trust has been working with Plymouth City...
As we move into summer it’s a good time to look back at our experience of this year’s ‘strange’ Spring weather and assess its effect on woodland wildlife. Peacock on willow in sunny March In the last few days of March, I can remember taking a...
The 2121 Big Butterfly count takes place from Friday 16th July to Sunday 8th August. The Butterfly conservation trust asks people to spend 15 minutes in a sunny spot and count the number of butterflies that they see. So, if you are out volunteering in...
Fragmentation of habitat plays a major role in the decline of species and, as ecological research seeks for more evidence of the changing conditions across a wider landscape, increasing problems from the spread of tree diseases are adding to these threats to survival. In some...
If you pass through the small town of Moretonhampstead during the month of June you may see an array of fascinating flags that line the routes in and out, arching over you as you move through the narrow streets. In a rainbow of colours, they...
The Buttercups are now blooming in Haddon Wood and there are three different species, so I thought it would be nice to look at them. Interestingly the name Buttercup did not come into common use until the middle of the eighteenth century. Before that there...
Dear South West Volunteers I wanted to wish you all a very happy National Volunteers Week and thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Thank you to the volunteers who have been able to continue volunteering for us during the restrictions, and to those...