Your seasonal guide
Stockbridge Down is one of my favourite local nature reserves. There are amazing views of farmland and villages below with soaring red kites and buzzards above and greater for rare wildflowers, butterflies and moths. The site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), managed by The National Trust as a grassland site for rare…
Rodborough Common is a 116-hectare site situated on the outskirts of Stroud, Gloucestershire. The site is now owned by The National Trust and was cited as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1954. The site is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), in part because of its herb-rich limestone grassland. The common…
Harmony Woods is part of the Jubilee Woods complex found on Augusta Park. The project to create a new community woodland was started in 2012 by Andover Trees United. The ‘woodland’ has been planted using mainly deciduous native trees by school children and other community volunteers. The plan for the woodland is to have woodland…
Formerly used for Gravel extraction, now important for many rare and declining species of wilslife. Andover is fortunate to have Rooksbury Mill Nature Reserve, nestled between the A303 and Watermills Park. The site started life as part of the Rooksbury Estate. In 1969 it was used for gravel extraction, before being filled, converted to a…
Recording first, and what platforms to use. When creating a new nature reserve either on a large scale, or just creating a wild area in your garden, or improving a wild area, it is best NOT just to get stuck straight in! To truly know if your conservation project is working, or not, you need…
Many Andover residents know of Ladies Walk it’s a stunning area with views right across town. The walk was planted with an avenue of trees in 1863 to commemorate the wedding of The Prince of Wales to Princess Alexander. The trees are very mature and some are rotting providing habitats for invertebrates, fungi and bats,…
Local residents will be aware of Anton Lakes Nature Reserve. Despite its size and urban setting, there is a variety of important habitats, ranging from lakes to grassland. Wetlands provide ideal conditions for plants like the aromatic meadowsweet, water avens, marsh valerian, and cuckoo flower (foodplant of the orange-tip butterfly). There is a variety of…