Page 4 - Wildlife News April 2017
P. 4
Nature reserve walks
Bbliordo ms ansd Bluebells carpet the woodland
floor at Foxholes.
The arrival of spring heralds two of nature’s most spirit- (PETER CREED)
soaring experiences: melodious birdsong and stunning
bluebells. Get out there and experience them first hand
CARPETS OF JOY The old, wild woods of Finemere Wood, Bucks, are a
special place to be at any time of year but spring is best for the
Think of an English woodland in spring and you can’t fail to woodland flowers. Where kings and queens once hunted for
picture carpets of spirit-lifting bluebells. So much of our wildlife wild boar, now you can stake out primroses along the woodland
is subtle or hidden, but when it comes to bluebells it’s all bright, rides and, deeper into the woods, the star-white blooms of
bold and beautiful. Electric-blue flashes of colour spill out across wood anemone, sulphur-yellow wood spurge and, of course,
the woodland floor in joyful contrast to the freshest green of beautiful bluebell carpets. Coppiced areas allow more light to
bud-broken leaves. There’s the deliciously sweet perfume and reach the ground, supporting a quarry of sunny lesser celandine
then, up close, the most delicate, drooping stems lined with the and the dainty-flowered early dog-violet. Wander out into the
finest bell-shaped blooms, each finished off with exquisitely grazed meadow at the heart of the woods to hunt for
curled tips – just sublime! springtime wild flowers such as the pale pink cuckooflower or
‘lady’s-smock’ and the intricately divided, deep-pink flowers of
To venture into a bluebell woodland at its peak is a near- ragged-robin.
religious experience. Stand, sit or lie in awe. Be still and let
your senses go into overdrive as you drink in this magnificent Tucked away in a remote corner of north-west Oxfordshire,
spectacle. You’ll leave recharged, renewed and elated. Foxholes is renowned for its bluebells, which stretch far and
wide beneath the ancient oak and beech. Other woodland
Did you know the Trust bought Finemere Wood with the regulars to watch out for include primroses, violets and early-
help of a generous gift left within a Will? Whether big or purple orchids, one of the earliest flowering orchids.
small, gifts made in this way help us to support special places
such as Finemere – and the wildlife found within them – for The short walk into Foxholes whets the appetite for the
generations to come. If you have ever considered leaving a spectacle to come. With a light breeze you’ll probably smell the
gift to BBOWT in your Will and would like to find out more, bluebells before you see them. Then, as you reach the woodland,
please contact the membership team in confidence by email there they are in all their magnificence: serene yet invigorating all
at membership@bbowt.org.uk or by phoning 01865 788300. at once. There’s a family-friendly circular wildlife walk to try once
you’ve arrived – just follow the badger waymarkers.
4 Wildlife news / April 2017
