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Trees woods and wildlife
Pine, black
Looming, handsome, graveyard-dweller. The black pine is common in shelterbelts, gardens and timber yards alike. Despite being huge, this non-native conifer isn’t a favourite with wildlife, though birds do enjoy its seeds.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Whitebeam, Arran
Rare, rugged, isolated. Arran whitebeam is one of the rarest and most endangered trees in the world. It is a hybrid of rowan and rock whitebeam which has stayed on the Isle of Arran since the last glaciers were formed.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Common striated feather-moss
Cushions of feathery green moss strewn nonchalantly over the woodland floor, common striated feather-moss is one cool customer. It brings colour to shady places and it is a characteristic of old ash woodlands in particular.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Cow parsley
A true roadside stunner, cow parsley is a familiar sight in the UK. It’s a hardy plant which is popular with pollinators and grows just about anywhere.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Whitebeam
Charming and domestic, the whitebeam’s fruit is a favourite of garden birds. It’s rarely found in the wild but is a popular ornamental tree in parks and gardens, with lovely blossom and russet autumn leaves.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Traveller's joy
Also known as old man’s beard, this woody member of the buttercup family is often seen scrambling over hedgerows.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Greater stitchwort
Pretty, star-like and abundant along hedgerows. These plants have an explosive seed-dispersal mechanism. Disturb a large patch of them in summer and they go off like fireworks.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Stag beetle
Impressive, heavily armed and a formidable fighter. The stag beetle depends on trees and woods for its survival. Its fat larvae feed on the decaying wood of old broadleaved trees. Loss of its woodland habitat means that the stag beetle is now a nationally scarce species.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Oak bracket
Though it oozes a honey-like liquid, the oak bracket has a few less tantalising names. It lives off the heartwood of living trees as well as on deadwood. Also known as weeping conk and warted oak polypore, they belong to a group called butt rot fungi.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Peacock
Big. Bold. Beautiful. This stunning showstopper is instantly recognisable, with its captivating azure ‘eyes’ and orange-brown wings. Widespread and common throughout the UK, it is one of our most-loved butterflies.