Looking at the park today as a remnant of the Great North Wood gives me a new perspective. I weave through the trees in the woodland walk and admire the muscular trunks of the sweet chestnut trees. The spikes of buds are evident but not yet in flower. Come July, their musky scent will fill […]
Although this joins onto Sydenham Wood, which I visit regularly, I don’t tend to spend much time in Dulwich Wood. So I decide to today. Yellow flag irises are in flower around Dewey Pond, which has been extensively managed by London Wildlife Trust for the Wood owners Dulwich Estate. There are lots of young robins […]
Despite Google Maps telling us cheerily that it will take an hour to cycle to Hutchinson’s Bank, it actually takes us two… along a ridiculously circuitous route… and dumps us in New Addington, rather than Featherbed Lane. This is the furthest I’ve been for the Challenge. At last we find the entrance to the reserve […]
It seems very appropriate that the first plant I see newly in flower this morning is Russian comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum)as I cut my shin yesterday on a bicycle ride. This is a common garden escapee and is a cross between common comfrey and prickly comfrey. As well as it’s use to make a nutrient […]
Finding the entrance to this sliver of wood was a challenge. I locked up my bike to make investigating easier and finally, what looked like a private driveway between two imposing gateposts took me into the wood. This remnant of the Great North Wood and the adjacent meadows, the Lawns, are owned by the Borough […]
Another green space which I’ve travelled past many times but never explored. This is a further Great North Wood project site in this case owned by Croydon Council and is mostly oak woodland. Despite the dry month we’ve had, there is healthy-looking ground flora under the mature oaks, particularly in comparison with Dulwich Wood. I […]
A week later I finally worked out how to post this video extract from the Urban Tree Festival showcase 2020 of me talking about the #sundaynatureworkship podcast and a reading of my winning nature writing piece.
For the second of my 30 days wild challenges, I’m visiting a green space that I’ve travelled past many times but never been to. Beaulieu Heights on the south side of the Crystal Palace ridge is a remnant of the Great North Wood and more recently was the grounds of two large houses. It’s hot […]
It’s the first of my 30 days wild challenges, I’m planning to visit 30 Great North Wood and/or London Wildlife Trust sites in June, and this one is a green space I know well. Cox’s walk is an oak-lined avenue which was created in the 18th century as a short cut through Fifty Acre Wood […]
