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Trees woods and wildlife
Apple
Tart, tangy and crisp. The fruit of the apple tree is a firm favourite in the UK. And although they’re not native, we’ve been breeding them for centuries as eaters, cookers and to make cider.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Lime, large-leaved
Towering, romantic, sticky. Large-leaved lime is a handsome broadleaf tree that is a rich home for wildlife. Find out more.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Yew
Ancient, morbid, toxic. The yew is one of the longest-lived native species in Europe. This has made it a symbol of death and doom, but it provides food and shelter for woodland animals.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Guelder rose
Flamboyant, romantic, wildlife beacon. The guelder rose brightens woods with spring blossom, autumn colour and vibrant berries.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Oak, sessile
Less famous than English oak, but no less loved, the sessile oak towers in the woods. Squirrels, jays and badgers love their acorns and caterpillars flock to eat their leaves, in fact 326 species of wildlife are found only on oak.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Meadowsweet
Sweet by name, sweet by nature. Meadowsweet might not be to everyone’s taste, but you’re unlikely to mistake the sickly sweet and frothy flower in damp woodland and bubbling out of damp ditches.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Stinkhorn
Pungent and a little indecent, some Victorians were so embarrassed by these fungi that they would attack them with cudgels lest any impressionable young ladies might see them.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Long-eared owl
Wise and regal, with an imposing stare and elusive nature. Our most nocturnal owl, with a penchant for recycling other bird’s old nests. It lives in dense woodland and is a skilful hunter.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Penny bun
Weighty, fat and delicious with a cap like a crusty, well-baked bun. Penny buns, or ceps, are prized for their taste and benefits to woodland, tree and human health.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Glow-worm
Emitting an eerie yellow-green glow at night, female glow-worms use bioluminescence to attract mates. Not worms at all, they are actually beetles that lurk in lowland Britain.