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My Wild Life

My reward

Carole has been volunteering at Idle Valley for seven years now; whilst she used to get involved with the heavy work out on the reserve, the garden is now her domain, working with the Recovery…

Species

Bird's-nest orchid

The Bird's-nest orchid gets its name from its nest-like tangle of roots. Unlike other green plants, it doesn’t get its energy from sunlight. Instead, it grows as a parasite on tree roots, so…

Species

Sand martin

The tiny, brown-and-white sand martin is a common summer visitor to the UK, nesting in colonies on rivers, lakes and flooded gravel pits. It returns to Africa in winter.

My Wild Life

My playlist

Anne loves nothing more than visiting a woodland at any time of year to immerse herself in the natural sounds and to get away from the noises of every day life.

Species

Black poplar

The black poplar is a large tree of floodplains, flooded gravel pits and ditches, particularly in England. Despite being an important part of our culture for centuries, it has declined massively…

My Wild Life

My dinner party

Niamh loves to feed the birds, so makes natural feeders out of pinecones and berries, to help them through the winter. She’ll tie this to a branch so that the birds can feast from it safely.

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It’s no secret that the natural world is in trouble. Wildlife is disappearing at an alarming rate and the threat of climate catastrophe is a constant worry. There is a way to tackle both of these critical issues, but we have to act now. Time is running out.
Species

Black-tailed skimmer

The Black-tailed skimmer is a narrow-bodied dragonfly that can be seen flying low over the bare gravel and mud around flooded gravel pits and reservoirs. It is on the wing from May to August.