Wilder Kent Blog

Long-time volunteer Margery Thomas explores the wildlife at Hothfield Heathlands in February, where reedmace tells a story...

Did you know, mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant - meaning they attach to their host using a structure called the haustorium. They're fascinating plants with a rich cultural history. Learn more in this blog.

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.

Looking to create a garden that’s not just beautiful but also provides a range of benefits for wildlife, as well as ongoing summer flowers? There’s lots of consider when choosing plants. I’m the Wild About Gardens Officer at Kent Wildlife Trust and these are my favourite summer plants that are blooming in my garden this season.

In Kent, our grazing animals roam the reserves using their instincts and experience to guide them towards delicious nutritious vegetation and away from potentially toxic plants. This deep-rooted wisdom is a product of evolution and survival instincts passed down from generation to generation but particularly prevalent in the old-fashioned breeds that we use.

Learn more about the rarest of the milkworts, this perrenial plant grows on chalky grassland and limestone pastures in Kent.

The writer H E Bates moved from Northamptonshire to Little Chart Forstal in 1931. His deep knowledge of the countryside coloured all his writing. In ‘Through the Woods’ (1936), with fine wood engravings by Agnes Miller Parker, he wrote in loving detail about the plant and animal life in Coldham Wood, which lies due west of the Extension section of Hothfield Heathland.