Blog types: Nature Reserves

Hothfield Heathland's bogs are one of only a handful of wet heaths in the Southeast, supporting a variety of dragonflies...

• Hothfield Heathland
• Nature Reserves

Bob is the most striking and charismatic of our longhorns; he is well loved by our staff and volunteers. He is good natured and respects the 10-metre distance that should be kept between people and livestock. Bob can sometimes be quite stubborn; if he is feeling particularly restful he will refuse to move for anything.

• Habitat Management
• Nature Reserves

We have had the driest spring since 1956, with river and stream flow already well below average for the time of year, a worry for everyone. Area Manager Ian Rickards reports that “this crazy weather has been beneficial for some insects, but the vegetation is already struggling, which will have a knock-on effect other insects later in the year. Water levels are dropping dramatically, with ponds and water bodies drying out very quickly.” The livestock have water troughs but the thin layer of peat in the bogs can dry out easily and be eroded by wind when exposed as plants adapted to damp conditions wither. The successive broods of nestling birds mostly eat insects and larvae, which provide moisture as well as protein, so they are also at risk.

• Hothfield Heathland
• Volunteering

Volunteer Margery Thomas talks us through a fascinating species you can find on Hothfield Heathlands in May: toothwort! Read all about it and the recent bird counts at the reserve here.

• Hothfield Heathland
• Plants

Hothfield Heathlands volunteer & writer, Margery Thomas, explores what the reserve is like at this time of year.

• Heathland
• Hothfield Heathland
• Species

Long-time volunteer, Margery Thomas, tells all about March on our Hothfield Heathland reserve!

• Hothfield Heathland
• Species
• Trees

Ashford Area Warden Will Glasson reflects on his first full year working across the local sites in this blog, co-written with long-time volunteer Margery Thomas.

• Hothfield Heathland
• Nature Reserves
• Working in Conservation

Volunteer, Margery Thomas, explores winter on Hothfield Heathlands - one of Kent's last four valley bogs and one of its few remaining fragments of open heath.

• Hothfield Heathland
• Species
• Volunteering

Kent Wildlife Trust volunteer Margery Thomas talks about the stunning Hothfield Heathlands Nature Reserve and what kind of species we can expect to find there in August.

• Conservation
• Hothfield Heathland
• Nature Reserves
• Volunteering

Long-time volunteer, Margery Thomas, talks us through all the exciting fungi at Hothfield Heathlands and their importance.

• Fungi
• Hothfield Heathland
• Species