Kent Wildlife Trust Volunteer
Do you still feel like hibernating through to the end of winter? You would be in good company with many animals and invertebrates on Hothfield Heathland. However, a walk out there at this time of year is exhilarating and you won’t be alone.
Margery Thomas is one of our fantastic volunteers and she has written a blog for us about our Hothfield Heathlands nature reserve. She spends many hours supporting our wardens to protect and enhance wildlife at this special reserve.
By August, floral glory has passed from the orchids (heath spotted, southern marsh and a few large hybrids) to the heather or ling. As ever, we hope for a protracted display of purple in the heathy areas, which is likely if the cool nights persist. Orchid seed is now ripening. Dust-like, dispersed on the wind, the seed contains no nutrients to support germination so needs a mycorrhizal fungus to supply nutrients from the soil to its roots. From seed to flowering takes three years or more.
