Creatures of the Wild Wood
‘“You really needn’t fret, Ratty” added the Badger placidly. “My passages run further than you think and I’ve bolt-holes to the edge of the wood in several directions, though I don’t care for everybody to know about them.’ (Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows) Those of us who read, or had read to […]
Braywick Nature Reserve is an park in Maidenhead which combines woodland, wetland and grassland. It is managed to promote and protect a diverse array of wildlife. For a relatively small area there is an incredible amount to see, and the reserve demonstrates the positive impact on biodiversity of letting habitats grow and establish themselves. The […]
“No animal, according to the rules of animal-etiquette, is ever expected to anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter.” Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows. Now that winter seems to be in retreat, and the first tentative signs of spring are here, the thought of life in […]
Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park looked after by the Crown Estate. In the past the Great Park was used for hunting by the Royal families. There are lots of famous landmarks in Windsor Great Park such as: The Copper Horse – a statue of King George III at the top of Snow Hill. […]
Burnham Beeches is a nature conservation area of woodland and pasture. Run by the City of London, special sites for wildlife and species to look out for are listed on their website. There are a number of trails to help you explore Burnham Beeches such as the Historical Trail which gives information on the woodland […]
Living things can be grouped in a variety of ways. Classifications organise the variety of living things by features and characteristics. Why do we need to classify living things? There are maybe 30 million species on our planet. There are nearly 18,000 animals and plants in the Eton Natural History Museum! It would be impossible if we just tried […]
Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances. As an ecosystem changes, older inhabitants gradually die out and new organisms move in, causing further changes in the community. This series of largely predictable changes that occur in a community over time is called ecological succession. Ecological succession is slow and gradual and can take many years. As ecological succession occurs, types of […]
All of human activity is connected to the environment. Sustainability is understanding how natural systems function and supporting the long term stability of the environment and the balance of its many, biodiverse ecosystems. Humans can improve their co-existence with the natural world by seeking to act sustainably. People not only collect specimens of living things […]
Understanding the role of the environment in our lives and the healthy life of our planet helps us know how to protect woodland, and for woodland in turn to protect us and help fight climate change. Worldwide, scientists examine our natural world and discover more and more about how it works, how our ecosystems are connected, how many species there are. […]
What is the environment? All living species of animal and plant, together with their surroundings, form the environment. This includes the soil, rivers and air as well as our daily weather and climate. As humans we rely on our environment for food and water and the very air we breathe. Human actions can improve our environment but they can also damage it if we act unwisely. What […]
Creatures of the Wild Wood 