Wildlife Trust: How we’re future-proofing Cambridgeshire’s ancient woodlands

Amy Gerhard, of the Wildlife Trust in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, writes about its latest activities and upcoming events.

Future-proofing Cambridgeshire’s ancient woodlands

Recent visitors to Waresley Wood may have noticed that parts of the reserve are a little messy at the moment.

Although it may look quite drastic, it is the effects of important reserve management work being undertaken to help mitigate the effects of climate change. The reserve team have been working hard to widen the woodland rides in efforts to help them to recover better from the wetter warmer winters we now experience.

As the existing woodland rides on the reserve are quite narrow, they have been heavily impacted by footfall. In spring, when visitors come to the ancient woodland to experience beautiful wildlife spectacles including bluebells, wood anemones and oxlips, among other wildlife found in the woodland, the footfall is particularly high.

Matt Hamilton, senior reserves manager in Cambridgeshire, says this management work is critical.

“After a very wet winter, the rides never really recovered from the weather conditions,” explains Matt. “Climate change is leading to less cold periods, a lack of snow and less frozen ground. So, the heavy clay ground sits wet, creates lots of puddles and takes months and months to dry out. This means the ride never really recovers and results in the loss of wildlife associated with it, like wildflowers.”

A solution is to widen the ride.

“The ride has been made much bigger - three or four times the width it was before,” says Matt. “Some of the woodland, previously part of the woodland edge, on one side has had to be removed, and it will take a couple of years to consolidate for the wildflowers and grasses, but will create a ride that is even better than it was before.

“It will encourage increased diversity and a more open habitat, like a little glade. A kind of wildflower meadow in the middle of a woodland.”

Some parts of the ride will be closed for the next couple of years while the work is completed and the ground and soils recover.

Other parts of the ride, where the work has been carried out previously, will remain open, however, so please check our website before visiting and to follow further updates. It is a long-term project, but the expected results will mean that the wood will be able to remain open for longer, with fewer closures required during winters, and will be richer in wildlife, especially in summer with butterflies and birds nesting on the edges.

Fungi finds

As the new season arrives and autumnal wildlife begins to appear, we have already had some fungi sightings in Cambridgeshire.

Iain Webb, community conservation officer in Cambridgeshire, saw a few earthstar fungi (among Britain’s most bizarre-looking fungi) and an impressive bracket fungus at a site in west Cambridge at the start of the month.

Fungi come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, from the familiar mushrooms to cups, balls and brackets. Fungi are fascinating and there’s so much more to these otherworldly organisms than meets the eye.

Many different types of fungi can be found in Cambridgeshire so an autumnal afternoon of fungi hunting, exploring local spaces, could be a very satisfying venture.

Use our fungi guides online to help you with identification at www.wildlifebcn.org/wildlife-explorer/fungi but remember please do not pick any fungi you find on a nature reserve.

Experience Apple Day at the Great Fen

Apple Day is a fun, family event that celebrates local produce and community.

Ramsey Heights Nature Reserve, at the Great Fen, will be hosting this year’s event on Saturday, 12 October, and everyone is invited!

Come along and celebrate with us - there will be lots to explore and enjoy. Experience delicious food and drink, listen to live music and watch some wonderful Molly dancing.

Try out seasonal arts and crafts, browse eco-friendly market stalls or explore the nature trails. There will be face painting and storytelling, alongside fun games and competitions.

You can even bring your photogenic pups for a professional pet portrait! There is something for everyone so why not gather your friends and family and join the celebration, we’d love to see you there!

Cambridge Photography Week events

We’re taking part in Cambridge Photography Week 2024, organised by Campkins Cameras. Between 30 September and 5 October, you can access a wealth of knowledge from local photographers with a week of free online content, special photography deals and it concludes in a Photography Show, at the Hilton Hotel, Downing Street, on 5 October.

The Wildlife Trust BCN will have a stand at the show and will also be running a talk on Cambridgeshire wildlife, so do come along and say hello! You can get your free tickets at www.cambridgephotographyweek.com/show/.

To celebrate photography week at the trust we are also running two photography walks.

Come and join experienced wildlife photographer Paul Wyer for a guided walk around our wonderful Trumpington Meadows nature reserve in south Cambridge.

Paul knows the local wildlife very well and has captured some great images while at our sites, which makes him ideally placed to discuss and demonstrate finding, approaching and photographing nature, the equipment you can use, and more. So, why not book and take an autumnal look at this accessible and diverse nature reserve?

Visit the Wildlife Trust website to book.