Island Life June July 2015 June July 2015 | Page 57

COUNTRY LIFE W oodlands are home to more species than any other land-based habitat in the UK. However as with other wild habitats, much of it only exists in isolated pockets surrounded by urban development or non-wildlife-friendly farmland. Woodland once covered the majority of Britain - but now only three per cent of our land is home to precious ancient woodland. These fragments are under threat, but also are not big enough to sustain our local wildlife. That’s why we at the Wildlife Trust are campaigning for joined-up spaces for wildlife across the country, or what we call ‘Living Landscapes’. For example allowing room for wildflowers alongside our crops, or leaving green corridors through our towns and cities would be a massive help for wildlife looking for food and a home. Combined with wild spaces like nature reserves, they could provide a range of different habitats for all kinds of flora and fauna. Most importantly they would link up habitats, rather than leaving them fragmented as they are now. Things have improved slightly for woodland in recent decades. Campaigners and conservation groups like the Wildlife Trust have successfully pushed for the protection and restoration of woodland areas over the years. The Trusts got involved, and now look after more than 400 woodlands across the UK - from flower-strewn ancient woodlands to wild coastal woods, damp and rich in lichen and moss. Woodlands need ongoing protection from invasive species that aren’t native to the UK and also damage from human activity. It’s especially important to proactively improve woodland by providing a diversity of habitats so that many different plants and animals can flourish. This might mean clearing away some more common trees to allow sunlight to reach rarer shrubs and flowers below. Now is a perfect time to celebrate and explore local Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, working for a better future for wildlife and wild places in Hampshire and the Island. Phone: [phone] E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.hiwwt.org.uk Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Beechcroft House, Vicarage Lane, Curdridge, Hampshire, SO32 2DP Photo: Badger Peeping by Darin Smith woodlands, and all the diversity they offer both above our heads and below our feet. Why not take time out to reflect on nature’s beauty and appreciate what our natural environment has to offer? Bluebells have burst into colour, and other beautiful wildflowers such as wood anemones, ramsons and celandine, have also emerged. There are also many less obvious plants and creatures: smaller, shyer, nocturnal perhaps, or even underground. As well as celebrating woodland’s showy species, how about looking for the quiet ones, the little grey ones, the ones that hide under rocks? There’s plenty to see and do – visit www. hiwwt.org.uk for tips in your local area. 5 ways to explore your local woodland: 1. Go on a wildflower walk in your local wood. 2. Look out for signs of our more secretive woodland wildlife, like spring fungi, badgers and woodlice. 3. Amuse the kids with some free spotter sheets available from our Wildlife Watch website: www. wildlifewatch.org.uk/spotting-sheets 4. Go butterfly spotting. Beautiful brimstone, comma, small tortoiseshell, peacock, red admirals are all emerging in the coming weeks. 5. Find out more about the different types of woodland, and the wonderful wildlife they support: www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/habitats/ woodland Join us today and enjoy the benefits of being a member of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust: • Unlimited visits to 57 wildlife reserves in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and 2,500 rese 'fW2