Head over to the booking page of our website now to register for our next exciting half term of sessions. We head back into the woods next week.

Tuesdays (10-3) for ages 3 and up in Crane Park with Amanda J

Wednesdays (10-3) for ages 7 and up in Ham Common Woods with Sam

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

Fall has come, the wind is gusting, and Leaf Man is on the move. Is he drifting east, over the marsh and ducks and geese? Or is he heading west, above the orchards, prairie meadows, and spotted cows?

No one's quite sure, but this much is certain: A Leaf Man's got to go where the wind blows.

Ehlert crafts each illustration out of actual fall leaves on every spread to reveal gorgeous landscapes.

You can buy it here.

Hawthorn fruit

Known as haws, they are a crimson red fruit that is 0.5 – 1.5cm in diameter, growing in clusters of small, round berry-like fruits with thick red skin and creamy-yellow apple like flesh. A great way to identify them is to look out for the tiny 5 pointed star at the base of the fruit, as well as its thorny branches! Much like an apple in texture, they are not actually a berry but more like a plum in that they have one large seed inside.  

The Salt Box has some great Hawthorn foraging information for you.

Wild Food UK have a wonderful recipe for Hawthorn ketchup that looks yummy.

Hedgehog homes

The Wild Life Trusts have a lovely page with instructions on how to make a hedgehog home. It is a very fancy one compared to the one we made in the woods using found materials but the principal is the same, a cozy interior (we used a log cabin style structure from sticks) covered in insulating materials (we used leaves).

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society have an informative website all about all things hedgehogs, including how to build them a home in your own garden.

If you give this one a go we would love to see the results! And do keep us updated on if you get any of the spiky friends moving in for the winter!

Witch’s Broom

This excerpt from the Wild Life Trusts website explains what a witches broom is…

As the trees lose their leaves, the structure of the tree beneath is revealed and you may see lots of what looks like bird nests. Look more closely and you’ll see that many of them are in fact profusions of tiny twigs growing from the tree itself, often called witches brooms.

They are caused by fungi – different types in different trees – which stimulate the tree to create these abnormal growths so that they can feed off the shoots. They’re classified as a type of gall, as the process is similar to the one that creates the growths often seen on oak leaves.

Find out more about witches broom and other wildlife to watch for in November from the Wildlife Trusts.

If you manage to spot some witch’s broom we would love to see your photos.