Why not visit one of our woodland nature reserves, such as Old Park Wood in Harefield, Balls Wood in Hertford Heath, Fir and Pond Woods near Potters Bar or Astonbury Wood near Stevenage, and see for yourself the work we are doing in our woodlands to benefit wildlife and people?

To make your visit more enjoyable, Iain Ward, our Reserves and Wilder Woodlands Officer, shares his top picks of woodland species to spot in winter:

• Hazel comes in to flower as early as January and the female flowers can be easily overlooked as they’re so small. They resemble a leaf bud but have tiny pink styles protruding from the tip. Unlike most trees, these are often at eye level too.

• Wood Anemone and Lesser Celandine are both early flowering wildflowers that are found in woodland as early as the end of February. 

• Fieldfares and Redwings are two winter visiting birds that are often seen together in large flocks, stripping Hawthorns of their berries.

• Velvet Shank is a little orange capped fungus that continues to fruit through the winter on rotting stumps and dead standing trees. 

• Barbastelle bats are relatively tolerant of cold, and roost in hollow tree trunks and behind flaking bark on dead trees. They often move between roosts during the winter and will even fly to forage during milder periods. 

Help us to protect local woodlands

This winter, we need to raise £54,000 to keep our woodlands safe and thriving. Please take a look at our fundraising appeal here and help us to protect this precious habitat for wildlife and people. Thank you.