Blog types: Nature Reserves

Since bison were released into West Blean and Thornden Woods on the outskirts of Canterbury, they have not only transformed the landscape but significantly grown in number.

• Bison
• Wilder Blean

Kent Wildlife Trust Volunteer Margery Thomas explains the nature of heathland habitat at our stunning Hothfield Heathlands Nature Reserve and how our volunteer teams help us to protect this important and beautiful reserve.

• Birds
• Flowers
• Heathland
• Hothfield Heathland
• Nature Reserves

Update from Nina Jones, protected warden for Sandwich & Pegwell Bay.

• Volunteering

Margery Thomas, Hothfield Volunteer and regular columnist looks at the lack of butterfly sightings in recent months, the work volunteers are doing to remove bracken and how this all impact the wider management of the last remaining fragments of heathland we have left in Kent.

• Butterflies
• Habitat Management
• Heathland
• Hothfield Heathland
• Moths

As the cold snap of winter rolls in across the country, our grazing animals showcase a diverse array of adaptations, evolved over time to contend with plummeting temperatures and the reduction in leafy vegetation cover across Kent’s nature reserves.

• Conservation
• Wilder Grazing
• Wilding

In this article, join me on a journey through Southroad Wood, an integral part of the Hunt’s Wood Local Wildlife Site in Kenardington near Ashford.

• Conservation
• Local Wildlife Sites
• Volunteering
• Wilding

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.

• Hothfield Heathland
• Nature Reserves
• Volunteering
• Volunteers' Week
• Wilder Kent Strategy

Sara Booth-Card, ecologist, peatlands and Action For Insects campaigner at The Wildlife Trusts, looks out for the telltale signs of flying ant days and shares her love for the underground world of ants.

• Insects
• Species

Nina Jones, Protected Area Warden takes a moment ahead of National Marine Week to explain what we can individually and collectively do to help restore and protect nature on our coasts.

• Marine
• Nature Reserves
• Respecting Nature

The wettest winters and springs on record have had at least one benefit. The ponds and pools across Hothfield Heathlands are full of water!

• Dragonflies
• Hothfield Heathland
• Nature Reserves
• Species