Woodlands

Our woodlands can be eerily quiet in winter, or full of life and noise during the breeding season.

When spring arrives, there's no better experience than walking past carpets of bluebells while listening to the babble of a nightingale singing.

Woodlands are Britain’s richest and most diverse habitat. Much of the UK used to be covered by woodland, and thousands of species are adapted to live in them. 

True woodlands are different from forests grown for wood to chop down and sell because they are made up of many more types of plants and animals.

Forests grown for wood to sell usually have only one kind of fir tree, often not even native to the UK! 

Woodlands come in many different sizes and types, so what you’ll see will depend on where you are, what the trees are like, and, of course, what time of year it is.

Without a doubt, spring is the best time to visit woodland. The trees are covered in new leaves, birds are singing, flowers blooming and the whole place is simply alive.

A huge variety of plants, shrubs and trees grow in our woodlands, all providing homes and food for even bigger numbers of creatures of all sizes.

Oak trees can support more than 200 insect species alone.

On the forest floor, delicate flowers like bluebells, wood anemones and celandines grow.

Native red squirrels can be seen in some areas of the country, but butterflies, like the aptly named speckled-wood, are widespread.

In Caledonian pine forest in Scotland, you might see cheeky crested tits or red squirrels.

In oak woodland in the north and west, pied flycatchers arrive in spring and set up home in tree holes, while nuthatches call loudly from ancient woodland.

In autumn, jays look for acorns to hide for the winter and woodcocks arrive from across the North Sea in October.

If you go for a woodland walk in winter, they might make you jump by bursting out of the dead leaves on the ground.

• Vanishing trees

  Few truly native woods survive today, and the area covered by this habitat is decreasing. Research has shown that woodland birds have suffered some of the biggest declines in recent years, so we’re working to find out why and what we can do.
  
  

• Alien invaders

  Plants like the rhododendron may have beautiful flowers, but they originate from all the way over in Asia which means our UK woodlands can't cope with them. Their big leaves stop sunlight reaching the ground and they produce toxins that stop other plants from growing. There are many other plants and animals that don't belong in the UK and their spread causes a lot of damage to this habitat.  

Each season brings a different atmosphere to our woodland reserves. There is always something new to experience, from carpets of wildflowers and birdsong in spring to the peace of winter, broken only by deer crossing a clearing or a party of tits passing through the treetops.

Top tips for visits

These tips will help you to make the most of your visit to one of our woodland reserves:

• Visit early in the day when bird activity is at a peak
• Use your ears as well as your eyes - listen for bird songs and calls
• Try to walk softly and make as little noise as possible to increase your chances of getting good views of wildlife
• Remember to look down as well as up in the treetops - it is easy to walk past wildflowers, insects and fungi
• Birds are easier to see when there are fewer leaves on the trees  

• Bird guide: crested tit
• Bird guide: jay
• Bird guide: nightingale
• Bird guide: pied flycatcher
• Bird guide: woodcock