The member magazine for your Wildlife Trust
Summer 2025
Nottinghamshire Wild Life
BRINGING BACK ELK TO THE EAST MIDLANDS
New research into the possibility of reintroducing elk
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Our new campaign to help encourage considerate behaviour with dogs on our nature reserves
Notes from the Chief Executive
Renewed focus, shared ambition
In 2021 we published our ambitious strategy to create a Wilder Nottinghamshire for all by 2030. As we approached the halfway point we reviewed how we were doing and how to refocus effort to better shape Wilder Places across our county to ensure people can lead Wilder Lives – whilst also making sure that the Trust is financially robust and has the skills and resources required to succeed.
Wilder Places means putting nature into recovery across our county. Through our work on Wilder Lives, we aim to build a movement for nature where more people than ever before are inspired and empowered through their connection with nature to take action for it. To achieve all of this we must be confident that the Trust has a secure future – where we can Thrive Together.
To achieve our goals, we must maximise the potential of our amazing estate of nature reserves in terms of their benefits to nature and to individuals and communities. We must work at a landscape scale, creating new habitat and linking existing areas, and must also maximise the positive impact of major developments to help put nature into recovery. We must grow volunteerism across all aspects of our work and embed our community mobilising approach to empower more individuals and communities to take action where they live and work.
To deliver impact we will increasingly focus time and effort in four priority areas Wilder Rivers, Wilder Sherwood, Wilder Idle and Wilder City – where we will work alongside and in partnerships with local farmers, businesses, councils, landowners and communities. We’ll work to help create, extend and connect wildlife rich habitats out from our nature reserves into the wider landscape.
The next five years to 2030
By 2030, we aim to see nature in our county on the road to recovery, with wilder more connected landscapes and struggling species starting to thrive. We’ll have demonstrated the power of nature to help address climate impacts and contribute to increase wellbeing and economic prosperity through nature-based solutions. We’ll be working with more decision makers, local authorities, developers and land managers, in partnerships with local communities – so we’re all working with nature, not against it. And thousands more people across Nottinghamshire will be inspired to take action to bring back wildlife to their areas. Only then can we achieve our mission of a wilder Nottinghamshire where people and wildlife are thriving together.
Helping us all lead Wilder Lives
Nature has a hugely positive impact on people’s mental and physical wellbeing, yet many have no access to nature locally and without connection to nature, people are unlikely to be inspired to take action to protect it. Our nature reserves are the starting point for our efforts to connect people with nature and that’s why our sites are a key focus of our Action for Wildlife Appeal . Many reserves were saved by local people acting for nature in their community by campaigning to prevent their destruction or raising funds to help the Trust purchase and protect them. By supporting our appeal you’ll be helping us invest even more in habitat management whilst enabling people to benefit from accessing these special wild places.
Paul Wilkinson Chief Executive @originalwilko
How you can get involved
Volunteer
See what role could suit you on our website. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ volunteering-opportunities
Donate
We can’t do it without your support! Donate via our website donation form. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/donate
Include a gift in your will
This will help future generations to enjoy nature in Nottinghamshire as you have done. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/gifts-wills
Visit a reserve
Explore a new site or revisit a favourite one! nottinghamshirewildlife.org/nature-reserves
Online shopping
Get your bird food delivered straight to your door, as well as other wildlife products and homeware. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/shop
Dedication leaves
Commemorate a celebration with a dedication leaf. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/dedications
Campaign
Play your part in raising awareness for a Wilder Future, Wilder Nottinghamshire. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/campaigns
Join in our events
Keep an eye on our website for updates about our events. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/events
Social media
Keep informed and join in with the regular wildlife updates online via Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram and LinkedIn
E-newsletter
For more regular updates about Nottinghamshire wildlife make sure the Membership team has your email consent. Email membership@nottswt.co.uk
3 Your wild summer
Enjoy a summer spectacle watching Common Terns.
5 Wild thoughts
Sir Partha Dasgupta, globally respected environmental economist and professor at Cambridge University, showcases local action to help support the fight for developments to work in harmony with nature.
6 Nottinghamshire News
Bringing back Elk to the East Midlands and how we are going to start researching into the possibility.
7 UK news
New report shows nature’s value for money in flood management.
8 Wild reserves
Find out what we have done and the new projects we are delivering on our nature reserves and in the wider connected landscape.
10 Beetlemania
A focus on this wide ranging species group.
12 Lead by Example
Our new campaign to help encourage considerate behaviour with dogs on our nature reserves.
14 The Magical Kingdom of Moss
Zoe Claymore, the award-winning garden designer behind The Wildlife Trusts' British Rainforest Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, connects us to moisture loving plants in our gardens from our Celtic past.
15 6 places to see...
Ocean giants take the limelight this issue.
Contributions
Editorial enquiries and contributions to: Rachel Rutherford communications@nottswt.co.uk
Copy deadline: Monday 15th September 2025
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, The Old Ragged School, Brook Street, Nottingham NG1 1EA Tel: 0115 958 8242
Email: info@nottswt.co.uk
Web: nottinghamshirewildlife.org
Front Cover: Thick-legged flower beetle
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Consultant Editor: Joanna Foat
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YOUR WILD SUMMER: Common Terns
Common terns arrive in the UK from West and South Africa in mid-April and depart in late summer. With the new tern platforms at some of our nature reserves thanks to the Wilder Trent Project, you can now watch them nest and raise their chicks this summer far more easily.
Grab a brew from the café at Attenborough and sit comfortably on the café balcony with a pair of binoculars watching them on their purpose-built platform on the water. You can also see them on their new rafts at Skylarks Nature Reserve, Besthorpe Nature Reserve, Netherfield Lagoons and North Muskham Lake. Tern rafts provide valuable nesting platforms on the water, away from predators. They like to nest on gravelly beaches and islands, so we have used cockle shells in the base of the tern rafts to welcome these noisy visitors.
These delightful silvery-grey and white birds have long tails which have earned them the nickname 'sea-swallow'. They have a graceful, floating flight and frequently hover over water before plunging down for fish.
Chalk Rivers and the UK’s Growing Water Crisis the Crossing
Crystal clear waters flow over colourful gravels, green fronds sway. Above, damselflies flit, wings glinting in the sunshine. I dip my fingers into the cool stream, scattering minnows. This tranquil, quintessentially English scene I hold in my mind, because the chance to see it in reality is shrinking.
Found across southern and eastern England, chalk streams are a global rarity occurring almost nowhere else. Whilst many UK rivers are rain-fed, chalk streams flow from vast underground aquifers of porous chalk rock.
A sunshade, filter and giant reservoir, cool, clean, consistent river flows result. The water requires comparatively little treatment to make it drinkable, making these rivers incredibly useful to society.
But whilst abstraction – extracting water for human use – won’t generally drain the river dry, not having enough water can be fatal for a river and its wildlife. Insufficient water means less physical space for plants, insects and fish, more concentrated pollution, and slower, oxygen-poor flows that warm faster in the sun (high temperatures are harmful to fish like salmon through damage to eggs, juveniles and adults).
Environmental groups have long raised concerns over excess abstraction from chalk streams or their aquifers. Extracting just 10% can potentially damage the complex local hydrology and harm particular species. And yet, for a group of rivers mostly around London – the Cam, upper Hiz, Cray, Darent and Upper Lea – more than 50% is taken. Drinking water supplies from these rivers simply aren’t sustainable.
Supply concerns aren’t restricted to chalk streams. The water company serving most of Wales said that without action, it won’t have sufficient volumes across zones that serve 70% of its customers, so it needs to invest in new supplies and in reducing demand to ensure it has enough headroom to weather any droughts. Even in Scotland, regulators have produced a
Ali Morse is Water Policy Manager at The Wildlife Trusts, working across the Trust federation, and in partnership with other organisations, to call for better protections for the water environment.
‘water scarcity plan’ because dry periods and droughts are becoming more frequent whilst water demand in homes, farming and industry is growing.
In England, the Environment Agency is updating the ‘Water Resources National Framework’, a long-term view of water needs that will show if we don’t take action, by 2050 we will fall short of the water needed for society and for rivers by 5,000 Megalitres – or 5,000,000,000 litres – per day. The greatest shortfall will be in south-east England, where chalk streams are located, but all of England faces water supply challenges.
Water supply is a key reason planning permission is refused, placing UK Government housing targets at risk. However, solutions can be found.
The Environment Agency recently withdrew objections to development in Cambridgeshire after a programme of water efficiency to offset new demand and new reservoirs to ease supply issues were agreed.
Habitat enhancement projects are crucial to ensure chalk streams can endure in the meantime. Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is creating a more resilient River Lea with 1.5km of woody features, bankside tree management, regrading banks and adding wetland features. The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire removed redundant weirs on the River Granta, improving flows and opening up new areas of habitat to migratory fish in Cambridge.
We must all take action. Ask your MP for tighter water use requirements for new homes and to introduce a water use labelling scheme for white goods and bathroom fixtures, add a water butt in the garden, and take the 3-minute shower challenge.
Help us call upon Government to take action to protect chalk streams. Sign the petition at wtru.st/chalk-streams-petition
WILD THOUGHTS
Sir Partha Dasgupta
Brown long-eared bat
The bit-by-bit encroachment on our neighbourhoods
Humanity’s demands today for nature’s goods and services far exceed her ability to meet them on a sustainable basis. We need 1.7 Earths to maintain the world’s current living standards, and that’s a conservative estimate. But we would not know that by studying the measure most widely used to judge economic success: Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
That’s because GDP does not consider the depreciation of assets, such as wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs, grasslands and forests, that accompany our production and consumption activities. An economy could be enjoying GDP growth for a long while even as the basis on which we produce and consume degrades and shrinks.
The human overreach is reflected in the rate at which species are becoming extinct, currently at some 100-1,000 times the rate of extinction over the past several million years. But when we think of human-induced species extinction, large-scale changes in land use come to mind.
We tend to think of forests being transformed into land for crops, animal farms and plantations; of grasslands transformed into pastures; and of mines and quarries ripping apart dense jungles. But there is a more insidious process at work, which is perhaps as powerful: the bit-by-bit fragmentation of ecosystems that accompanies GDP growth.
Persistent, incremental encroachment into nature is insidious because each move seems near harmless: a new bus lane cutting through an ancient orchard here, a mangrove forest sliced to make way for a luxury hotel there, a bat habitat destroyed to make room for additional housing in
an urban sprawl elsewhere. The problem is, the orchard will not return, the mangrove forest won’t have space to recover its previous glory and the bat population will die because it has nowhere to go.
If at each move human demand is allowed to trump ecological integrity, the landscape that evolves becomes denuded of wildlife. It is there that we each can play a role by minding our own neighbourhood. Unlike global climate change, over which no group on its own can have a marked effect, biodiversity can be protected by communitarian endeavours. Our Wildlife Trusts play an enormous role in protecting and preserving local wildlife.
Projects like the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire’s acquisition and preservation of Strawberry Hill, a rewilded farm in Bedfordshire, are helping to expand space for wildlife in some of the most nature-depleted areas of the UK. And on a different scale, the same Trust, of which I’m proud to be President, is working with young people in Luton to plant hedgerows in local parks that connect woodlands and other habitats together. This allows wildlife to thrive in the most urban of environments and simultaneously ensures that the local residents are connected to the wildlife that shares their neighbourhood, too. Wildlife Trusts all over the country have similar projects and together we are making a difference.
Done right, nature makes every development high-quality, attractive and sustainable. Co-sign our open letter, calling for new developments to work in harmony with nature. wtru.st/planning-bill
IN CONVERSATION...
The Wildlife Trusts’ Chief Executive,
met with Professor Dasgupta to discuss the findings of the globally respected review on The Economics of Biodiversity You can catch up on the recording of our WildLIVE on The Wildlife Trusts’ YouTube channel by visiting wtru.st/Economicsof-Biodiversity
Sir Partha Dasgupta is a globally respected environmental economist and professor at Cambridge University, author of a groundbreaking report on protecting global nature and president of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Craig Bennett,
LOCAL NEWS
Bringing back elk to the East Midlands
Back in the Spring we were delighted to hear that our joint project with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to investigate the potential of returning European elk to the UK had been awarded funding from Rewilding Britain’s Rewilding Innovation Fund.
We were amongst 13 projects exploring returning lost keystone species like bison, beaver and European elk Alces, aces (Known as moose in North America as pictured) to boost rewilding efforts and accelerate ecosystem recovery.
News of possible future releases of elk into existing beaver enclosures at both Idle Valley and Willington Nature Reserves sparked interest locally, nationally and internationally – with our very own Janice Bradley MBE – Head of Nature Recovery North, being interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation who were fascinated at the prospect. We’ve a long way to go before elk make a comeback to help restore our freshwater wetlands – but this exciting work is another illustration of the Trust’s ambition to create a wilder Nottinghamshire for all.
It's in Nottingham
We've partnered to help create a greener city centre. We're working with It's in Nottingham to help bees thrive in the city through a ‘bee highway' along Bridlesmith Gate. There's a number of planters along the 'highway' with pollen rich plants bringing biodiversity to the city streets for both bees and people to enjoy.
Castle Rock Brewery
Big THANK YOU to Castle Rock Brewery for their continuing support and recent collaborative brew of "Rambling Rangers," a quintessential British bitter celebrating the crucial, often unseen work of the NWT rangers and volunteers in managing our nature reserves across the county.
Privacy policy update
We have made a number of changes to our existing Privacy Policy, which is available to view online at nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ privacy-policy or via the QR code.
The updates and changes can be viewed at the end in section 10 in the change log, including details of how we use your data.
Metamorphosis Foundation
Metamorphosis Foundation has generously funded the purchase of a John Deere tractor from the Environment Agency (EA). The tractor named Metamorphosis 2, has been in use on our reserves working on reed beds and has proved to be a crucial piece of equipment that the Trust has come to rely on for meadow work, path maintenance and fencing work.
UK NEWS
New report shows nature’s value for money in flood management
A new report commissioned by RSA Insurance, an Intact company, and The Wildlife Trusts shows that every £1 invested in Natural Flood Management (NFM) is expected to deliver £10 of benefits over 30 years. Nature is one of the best defences against flooding in a changing climate, but the partners behind the report believe that more investment, data and support is needed to increase its long-term positive effects.
Natural Flood Management means investing in beaver wetlands, creating ponds, restoring bogs, rewilding rivers and de-paving so that these areas can soak up water and hold it back in times of high rainfall. Evidence collated by the Environment Agency shows that natural flood management is effective at reducing the overall damage from flood risk; the new report has gone further to focus on wider benefits including better habitats for wildlife, carbon storage and improvements to health and well-being.
Alongside the devastating impacts that flooding can have on people, it is the UK’s most expensive natural hazard, costing approximately £2.2 billion annually. This is projected to rise by a range of 19-49% by the 2050s according to the UK’s latest Climate Change Risk Assessment. The new research looked at 10 Natural Flood Management schemes created by individual Wildlife Trusts.
Collectively, they had an average total costbenefit ratio of 4:1 over 10 years rising to 10:1 over 30 years.
Kathryn Brown, director of climate change and evidence at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “One in six houses across the UK is currently at risk of flooding and climate change is leading to more frequent and heavier rainfall – and we know that this will become more severe in the future. The good news is our research proves that restoring natural habitats can help us tackle the effects of climate change – and in doing so, help reverse nature declines.
“The economic benefits of investing in Natural Flood Management are clear but just 1% of the public funding for managing flood risk in England goes to Natural Flood Management. Natural approaches to water management should be the UK Government’s first port of call wherever appropriate – and we need to see such benefits regularly accounted for, measured and valued by both the Government and private sector in future.”
To read the full report and find out more about Natural Flood Management, visit wtru.st/Natural-Flood-Management
To discover more about NFM in Nottinghamshire visit nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ natural-flood-management-project
Natural Flood Management Schemes
• Upper Sherbourne, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust: leaky dams and retention pools installed to help stop properties and roads flooding in a suburb of Coventry.
• Limb Brook, Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust: wetland expansion, 20 attenuation ponds created, 50+ leaky dams installed, de-culverted streams and hedge planting.
• River Otter, Devon Wildlife Trust: wetlands restored by beaver dams, which can reduce flood flows by an average of 30%, even during wet (high flow) conditions.
• Gloucester & Cheltenham Waterscapes, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust: 50 homes will benefit from decreased risk of flooding due to the creation of rain gardens, de-paving driveways, green verges, attenuation ponds and scrapes, which were delivered through RSA funding.
Earlier this year, The Wildlife Trusts celebrated the UK Government’s decision to licence reintroductions of beavers into the wild in England and acknowledge free-living populations for the first time in 400 years.
The Government’s decision to accept applications to return beavers into river catchments in England enables this native species to roam wild in our rivers and lakes once more.
In Wales, The Welsh Beaver Project, led by Wildlife Trusts in Wales, is currently waiting for Welsh Government’s decision on the protected status of beavers following a consultation.
Currently, only 14 per cent of rivers in the UK are considered to be in good ecological condition. Beavers are natural ecosystem engineers – experts at creating healthy wetlands. Their dams retain, release and filter water, restoring natural wetlands, rivers processes and wildlife too.
The Government recently committed to spending billions of pounds on hard infrastructure to combat flooding as well as compensating farmers for lost crops due to changing weather patterns. Releasing beavers represents a nature-based solution to many problems our rivers face and is shown to significantly reduce flood peaks;
Nature is missing from Government’s planning reform
The Wildlife Trusts are disappointed to see measures to boost nature’s recovery largely absent from the most recent UK Government’s Planning & Infrastructure Bill. Although the Bill shows some safeguards to the Nature Restoration Fund, including an ‘overall improvement test’, these need to be stronger.
as acknowledged by our report into natural flood management.
The return of beavers has been carefully planned over a long period of time.
Natural England has developed a detailed licencing regime and application process so stakeholders are engaged, landowners supported and wetlands are created to improve wildlife and the health of rivers.
To find out more information about wild beavers near you, visit wildlifetrusts.org/beavers
Becky Pullinger, head of land use planning at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “If the UK Government is serious about recovering nature alongside meeting housebuilding and other development targets, it should introduce Wildbelt designation in the bill – protection for areas of land which could be earmarked for future nature recovery – as well as a promise to protect Local Wildlife Sites.
UK HIGHLIGHTS
Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK
The art of Manx
Manx Wildlife Trust in collaboration with Visit Isle of Man announced the inaugural Biosphere Photographers in Residence for 2025. Ciara Hardisty and Adam Morgan’s work will contribute to a lasting artistic legacy that highlights the Isle of Man’s distinctive status as the world’s only whole nation UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Blistering record
The only native British species in the World’s 100 Most Threatened Species list was discovered by Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust at Rutland Water. The willow blister fungus (Cryptomyces maximus), recorded in England for only the second time since 1876, was previously only known in a few places in Pembrokeshire.
Rare butterfly refuge
A recent egg count of the rare brown hairstreak butterfly on the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust Asham Meads nature reserve in Oxfordshire revealed 43 eggs and a 33% increase on 2022. Despite increasing threats from climate change and habitat loss, stable numbers were recorded here. wtru.st/brown-hairstreak
“We have just five years to meet legal targets to halt the decline in biodiversity. So, we need to ensure public, private and charity investment in habitat restoration on key sites is protected for the longer term.”
WILD RESERVES
Around the reserves
Robust, resilient and resplendent reserves
A key focus of our Wilder Nottinghamshire 2030 strategy is ensuring that at least one-third of our county is made wilder. This can only be achieved through the creation of a ‘nature recovery network’ which can support abundant and diverse wildlife across our county.
The nature reserves that you support enables us to care for are a hugely important part of this network, but they don’t exist in a vacuum. Management decisions must consider their context in the wider landscape and external pressures such as climate change impacts.
In addition to nature reserve management, our Nature Recovery Teams are responsible our wider conservation including work with partner organisations, farmers and other landowners to create more space for nature - as well as standing up for nature within the planning system. This combined focus means our Nature Recovery teams are ideally placed to secure strategic funding to drive investment in nature recovery –including on our cherished nature reserves.
Exciting Times
We are currently delivering externally funded programmes which will see over £1.5million invested in habitat creation and restoration in the 1 Trent Valley, 2 Sherwood Forest and 3 Idle Valley areas – including on our reserves.
Work currently funded on our reserves via our Wilder Trent project (via DEFRA’s Species Survival Fund) include installation of tern
rafts at 4 Besthorpe NR, 5 Skylarks and 6 North Muskham reserves and coppicing at both 7 Farndon Willow Holt and 8 Attenborough. The project has also funded new equipment to speed up mowing and light scrub control and more than 30 ‘Nofence’ collars to expand and enhance our conservation grazing.
Our grazing programme has also been expanded thanks to our South Sherwood Nature Recovery Network (SSNRN) project funded by Severn Trent – meaning we’ve been able to graze the Spring Hill area of 9 Rainworth Heath Nature Reserve to create open habitat for species such as meadow brown butterfly - whilst support from DEFRAs Nature for Climate Peatland Grant has funded the purchase of cattle and equipment to enhance the management of reserves including 10 Misson Carr.
At 3 Idle Valley, pond habitat has been enhanced through our Water Vole Recovery Project (WVRP) (funded through the Natural England Species Recovery Capital Grants Scheme and Severn Trent) with 160m of new ditch habitat to follow.
The benefit of our strategic approach, made possible thanks to the ongoing support of members and donors, is that our reserves also benefit project; habitat enhance habitats across the local area such as the extensive mink trapping and wetland habitat creation through the water vole project; habitat creation with partners such as the RSPB at 11 Langford Lowfields (next door to 4 Besthorpe NR) via the Wilder Trent
project and over 100 hectares of habitat improvements through the SSNRN project. In addition to research into how we might improve habitats at 10 Misson Carr, the Environment Agency funded Lowland Agriculture Peat Water Development pilot could lead to future restoration of 260 hectares of local peatland habitat.
By investing in target areas such as 2 Sherwood Forest and key river catchments such as the Trent & Idle, we can enhance our nature reserves and create more connectivity and resilience across the landscape to benefit species such as woodlark, lapwing and otter.
Further details about the impact of all these projects –as well as a range of events and activities planned as part of the Wilder Trent scheme can be found on our website.
Longhorn cattle wearing Nofence collars at Rainworth Heath
Water vole release June 2025
Young longhorns at Mission Carr
WILD RESERVES
Fighting to safeguard nature protections
Nature reserves designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) including 3 Idle Valley, 8 Attenborough, 12 Eaton, 13 Gamston & 14 Kirton Woods, 9 Rainworth Heath, 10 Misson Car are amongst more than 5000 of the most sensitive protected sites that would be more vulnerable to destruction if the Government presses ahead with plans to roll back environmental protections through its Planning & Infrastructure Bill (PiB).
Our efforts to fight damaging legislation that threatens our most important wild spaces is a key part of the work that will benefit from our Action for Wildlife Appeal. Your opportunity to take action!
Details of how you can directly help fight the damaging aspects of the PiB can be found at wildlifetrusts.org/planning-andinfrastructure-bill
15 Treswell, 12 Eaton & 13 Gamston Woods
A pilot project to test the impact of temporary fencing made from recycled and reused materials to reduce browsing by deer of coppice regrowth in our northern woodlands has proved so successful that new stretches of temporary fencing have now been installed at Eaton & Gamston Wood & Treswell Wood.
16 Wilwell Farm Cutting
Recent surveys have recorded around 1100 cowslips and 450 green-winged orchids at Wilwell. The orchid count is the second highest since numbers crashed in 2012/13 following the impact of flooding.
17 Bunny Old Wood (West)
Gamston Wood tree canopy
Green-winged Orchid
Hazel coppice at Treswell Wood Cowslips
into the best of the beetles.
Like so many wild encounters, it came down to timing, research and a little bit of luck. I knew I was in the right place – patrolling a patch of grass, shrubs and saplings beneath towering birch trees. I knew it was the right season, with the late spring sun warming the morning.
But I’d been here before and left disappointed. How could I hope to spot one little beetle in a forest of foliage?
But there she was, a splash of red amongst the green. Hunkered on a leaf, soaking in the sunlight, warming up for her maiden flight. A female hazel pot beetle. She was almost cartoonishly oblong, a caricature of a beetle with her black head tucked beneath her bright red body. I’m not sure if it was her shape, her colour or her rarity that enchanted me, but that encounter will live long in my memory.
Ladybird Madonna
If the nation had a favourite beetle, it would probably be a ladybird. They’re familiar, brightly coloured and considered the gardener’s friend, thanks to their appetite for aphids.When you picture a ladybird, it’s likely the 7-spot, with seven black dots decorating its bright red back. But did you know there are almost 50 species to discover in the UK?
Many of them share a similar style, pairing red and black. Others can be orange or yellow. These bright colours are a warning. They let potential predators know that this meal would leave a bad taste in the mouth. This is known as aposematic colouration. Studies have shown that brighter ladybirds tend to be more toxic, with birds less likely to attack the brighter species as a result.
I’ve enjoyed similarly magical moments with many more beetles, from dazzling jewel beetles to cliff tiger beetles racing across rocks. The sheer number and variety of beetles in the UK is staggering – there are more than 4,000 of them. Wherever you look, however long you search, there will always be a new beetle to discover. They’re even more diverse than The Beatles’ back catalogue and, I think, should be just as celebrated. It’s time for a new Beetlemania!
The largest ladybird is the eyed ladybird, reaching a (relatively) impressive length of 8.5 mm. It’s a conifer specialist, best looked for on the branches of Scots pine. Whilst many ladybirds are found in trees, there are plenty to be discovered closer to the ground. The 14-spot ladybird stalks aphids across nettles and other low-growing plants. It’s a beautiful, bright yellow beetle, with rectangular black spots that often fuse together. Not all ladybirds are large and brightly coloured. Almost half of our resident species are considered inconspicuous ladybirds. They’re small, subtly marked and much more difficult to find. The aptly named dot ladybird can be as little as 1.3 mm. It’s a black speck often found on fruit trees, where it hunts spider mites – helping to control their numbers.
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but it can also be an excellent survival strategy. Lots of defenceless insects have evolved to look like bees and wasps to fool predators. This is known as Batesian mimicry and there are some brilliant beetles getting in on the act.
One of my favourites is the bee beetle. It has black bands across its yellow wing cases, bringing to mind a bee’s bum. The effect is enhanced by a fuzzy ginger back and a habit of trundling across flowers. But as any good cover band knows, it’s not enough to look like your idol, you have to sound like them too. Bee beetles buzz as they fly from flower to flower. Sadly, you’re unlikely to see one away from Wales or the Highlands of Scotland.
The sheer number and variety of beetles in the UK is staggering – there are more than 4,000 of them.
Luckily, there’s another mimic found a lot more widely. The wasp beetle lives in woodlands across most of Britain. Yellow bands across its black body give the impression of a wasp. The beetle adds to this effect by moving in a jerky, wasp-like manner. You can often find wasp beetles resting openly on leaves or fences, trusting their colours to keep them safe.
Hey jewel
How do you take a beetle and make it better? You make it shiny! From shining stripes to metallic sheens, there are some gloriously glossy beetles in the UK.
Jewel beetles live up to their name, with some species shimmering emerald or bronze. But, like true precious gems, they’re hard to come by. Their larvae leave characteristic D-shaped holes in the trunks of trees, but it takes a lot of luck to spot an adult. Fortunately, there are plenty of shining beetles that are far more easily found.
For example, rose chafers. These big beetles are hard to miss, visiting flowers on a sunny day. They’re a gorgeous, metallic golden-green, their colours shifting as the sun catches them. Like many beetles, they are pollinators, fulfilling the same important role as bees and butterflies. Rose chafers are found throughout southern Britain, sometimes visiting gardens.
Another glittering garden visitor is the rosemary beetle. Its metallic green back is embellished with striking purple stripes. It’s a recent arrival to the UK but has quickly spread. These beetles are easily found on rosemary and other aromatic plants. They are leaf beetles and share the genus Chrysolina with many equally attractive species, including the mint leaf beetle and dead-nettle leaf beetle.
flower beetle, red-headed cardinal beetle, soldier beetle, dock leaf beetle, oak jewel beetle, rosemary beetle, devil’s coach-horse, stag beetle, black oil beetle.
Twist and snout
Let’s shake it up from the bright and bold and explore some of our more bizarre beetles. When it comes to looks, weevils have the best nose in the business – though technically it’s a rostrum with their mouthparts at the end. This long ‘snout’ gives them a comical appearance, which is only enhanced by their large and often prominent eyes.
One of the longest snouts belongs to the acorn weevil. Females use theirs to bore into an acorn, allowing them to lay an egg inside. The young weevil grows inside the acorn, eventually burrowing out to pupate in the soil. Not all weevils have such a long snout. The scarce fungus weevil’s rostrum is broad and flattened. If feeds on the fungi known as King Alfred’s cakes, its mottled pattern providing the perfect camouflage.
Whether they’re strangely shaped, shiny, brightly coloured or masterful mimics, beetles are brilliant. They are pollinators, predators and recyclers, carrying out the vital tasks that help keep wild places balanced. Let’s come together and celebrate these incredible insects.
Other beetles pictured include: bloody nose beetle, 7-spot ladybird, thick-legged
Many leaf beetles, like this mint leaf beetle, have a metallic sheen
7-spot ladybirds are a familiar sight in parks and gardens
Tortoise beetles look truly bizarre thanks to the large wing cases and pronotum that hide their head and body
Leading by example
Our Head of Communications & Marketing Erin McDaid explains how we’re working to tackle the impacts of dogs on nature reserves –whilst still welcoming responsible dog owners.
After decades of caring for nature reserves across the county, we’re used to balancing the sometimes-competing needs of people and nature, but one issue that has become particularly challenging is dogs on nature reserves.
Whilst some people believe that dogs simply shouldn’t be allowed on nature reserves, here at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust we’re keen to strike a balance. We’ve long permitted dogs ‘under close control’ - but increasing dog ownership, partly stoked by a rush to take up dog ownership during pandemic lockdowns; increasing problems with owners not keeping their dogs under control or picking up after them led us to harden our policy. By the letter of the law, owners must keep their dogs under close control when in public. We now ask that dogs are kept on a lead at all times when visiting our sites.
On popular sites such as Attenborough Nature Reserve, our policy shift has had little impact despite increases in signage and public statements. When the issue of dog management came out as one of the top issues highlighted by the Attenborough for All listening exercise, we decided to tackle it head on whilst ensuring responsible dog owners, and their pets, remained welcome to enjoy the reserve.
Given that 74% of visitors taking part in Attenborough for All said that they feel more connected to nature as a result of visiting the reserve and over 50% say that their visits have inspired them to do something to help wildlife - our aim was to take a positive and balanced approach so that everyone, including responsible dog owners can lead wilder lives and continue to benefit from visiting the reserve and be inspired to act for nature.
Rather than seeking to re-invent the wheel we started by reviewing a range of approaches being used elsewhere. As only a proportion of owners were causing problems and many will be unaware of the impacts their dogs and their dogs’ deposits can have on nature and the environment, (as well as staff during mowing!), we decided to focus on engaging people with a view to changing their behaviour rather than a heavy-handed approach.
We recognised early on that this challenge would need input from across the Trust and formed a working group with reps from our Nature Recovery, People & Nature and Communications & Marketing teams. When reviewing techniques used elsewhere, we were drawn to approaches that sought to involve responsible dog owners as part of the solution. Before long we’d christened our new campaign ‘Lead by Example’ and set out to recruit a team of ‘Ambassadogs’ (and their owners!) as advocates.
Rather than being a gimmick, putting dogs and responsible owners at the heart of the campaign is designed to bring people with us and to challenge any perception that the Trust was ‘anti’ dog. We also felt that messages about the importance of keeping your dog on a lead and picking up after your dog would be more impactful if being demonstrated by dog owners that love our reserves.
Why is responsible dog walking important?
Even the most gentle and well-behaved dog is seen as a predator by wildlife. Birds, mammals, and reptiles may react with fear, using up vital energy trying to escape—even if the dog doesn’t chase them. This stress can reduce their chances of survival, especially during breeding season and harsh weather conditions. Keeping your dog on a short lead when visiting a nature reserve can help prevent nest abandonment, especially by ground-nesting birds like skylarks, lapwings, and nightjars. Dogs wading into ponds or chasing through grass can trample fragile habitats, disturb hibernating species and even kill small creatures accidentally; curious dogs can also disturb or destroy the nests and shelters of small mammals such as hedgehogs and voles. Keeping dogs on leads and away from wildlife also reduces the risk of dogs transmitting diseases such as parvovirus, distemper, and leptospirosis to wild animals. Our sites aren’t just nature reserves – they’re also home to conservation grazing livestock. Even the most well-trained dogs have a natural instinct to chase, which can cause stress, injury, or even pregnancy loss in grazing animals. It's also worth remembering that not everyone loves dogs – so by keeping your dog on a lead you are ensuring your pet doesn’t impact on other visitors’ enjoyment. When it comes to picking up after your dog, dog poo left behind isn’t just unpleasant—it can contain parasites that can cause serious illness for animals but particularly in young children that come into contact with contaminated soil.
Rolling out the campaign
Whilst the impetus for developing the approach came from the Attenborough for All project, we’re keen to apply the learning to other reserves and it has now been rolled out at Attenborough, Skylarks and Idle Valley, with scope to recruit and support volunteers elsewhere in future.
Lead by Example is all about encouraging and rewarding visitors (and their dogs!) who support our work to provide spaces where wildlife can thrive, free from disturbance. Volunteers will demonstrate positive behaviour by keeping their dog on a lead and picking up after them and chatting to fellow dog owners in a friendly way about why responsible walking matters and rewarding those who do! Volunteers and their dogs will wear branded gear, hand out leaflets to help spread the message and, on occasion, hand out treats and vouchers to encourage others to do the right thing. To reinforce the message about keeping dogs on leads and clearing up dog mess we’ve rolled out a range of new signage.
Get involved
We’re grateful to everyone who is already Leading by Example by keeping their dog on a lead when visiting nature reserves, and we’re hoping to encourage even more dog owners to do the same. We’re looking for volunteers with dogs to help us spread the message whilst visiting Attenborough, Skylarks and Idle Valley nature reserves – could this be you?
If you and your pup would like to join the pack, you can find out more at nottinghamshirewildlife. org/lead-by-example
Back in June, we held our first Lead by Example ‘pop up’ event at Attenborough supported by a Community Warden from Broxtowe Borough Council.
Ambassadogs
Meet Mondo - our very first official Ambassadog! Katherine Wilson, a trustee has been volunteering with Mondo at Skylarks Nature Reserve.
Please tell us about yourself and your dog, what’s their name, breed and their personality like?
I’m Katherine, I’m a glass artist who has always loved dogs and taking them for walks. My dog is called Mondo, he is a 6-month old whippet who loves everyone! He has a 5-year old ‘big brother’ called Spider.
What’s your favourite thing about walking at Skylarks Nature Reserve?
Skylarks is really quiet and you feel like you are getting away from it all.
Why do you choose to keep your dog on a lead when walking on our reserve?
Whippets are sight hounds and they are always looking out for things to chase. Keeping Mondo on a lead means I can relax and enjoy our walk knowing the wildlife is not disturbed by my over inquisitive puppy.
Could you share one tip to encourage more dog owners to lead by example?
Mondo will be wearing his ambassadog bandana so I’m hoping people might ask me about it and then I can tell them what we are promoting. Help us lead a people-powered nature recovery
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is run by a Council of Trustees. Trustees are our most senior volunteers and play an important role in leading the organisation and helping us achieve our ambitions for nature in Nottinghamshire. We greatly value the time, knowledge and experience that our Trustees bring and are currently looking for at least one additional Trustee and a Trustee-Treasurer to help us deliver our refreshed strategy. By joining us as a Trustee, you can be part of making a difference. The closing date for applications is July 18th. For further information including details of how to apply, please register and search for our opportunities at nottinghamshirewildlife.org/volunteer
Mondo
Spider and Mondo at home
The Magical Kingdom of Moss
Zoe Claymore, the award-winning garden designer behind The Wildlife Trusts' British Rainforest Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, connects us to moisture loving plants in our gardens from our Celtic past.
Temperate rainforests, which once covered a fifth of the UK but now cover less than one per cent, contain one of the oldest plants in the kingdom – moss. These prehistoric plants have been around since before the dinosaurs. They are phenomenal and need their moment to shine. So why not give your garden the temperate woodland makeover with moss, ferns and lichens.
You may already have moss in your garden in the damp, shady environments. These mossy habitats are sacred and need time to be left alone to grow. Sadly, often people don't see moss as a plant in the garden, they see it as a problem that needs to be scraped off. We absolutely have to stand up for these ancient mossy places or they will be lost.
Moss is an essential part of any garden ecosystem where fungi grows and a host of small creatures find shelter and food. Beetles,
slugs and snails to tiny springtails and microscopic creatures attract birds and other animals higher up the food chain.
I spent my childhood playing on mossy boulders over the River Lyd, in a temperate woodland in Lydford Gorge out the back of my grandparents’ house. I firmly believe moss is a great addition to any garden: when I feel the soft, velvety cushion under foot or in my hands, I still have that childlike sense of wonder.
In my British Rainforest Garden, I use a leaning silver birch tree and hazel tree to create a British rainforest vibe, whilst water trickles over natural stone boulders to evoke the sounds of the forest. Garden-friendly adaptations include an accessible wooden walkway through the wonderland, and a living wall covered in ivy, ferns, woodland flowers – and moss, of course!
Zoe Claymore is an award-winning landscape and garden designer based in southwest London. In 2025 she won RHS Gilt Silver Medal and coveted People’s Choice award in the All About Plants category at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The British Rainforest Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show was made possible with generous sponsorship from Project Giving Back and our British Rainforest partner Aviva. The garden will be relocated to Bristol Zoo after the show.
Foxglove
The charismatic, tall pink foxglove flowers are a reminder of the hazy days of summer buzzing with bumblebees and moths.
Ferns
Have fun with ferns and throw them some shade in the garden so those lush, curly fronds can thrive. This is the purple royal fern.
Hazel
Hazel trees are good in the city for smaller gardens, great for wildlife and can be coppiced to use as stakes in the garden.
Hypnum cupressiforme moss
This is great moss for lawns and very ecologically adaptable.
Black spot lichen
Lichens are epiphytes or “air plants” that survive on nutrients and moisture in the air. They are made of fungus and algae, ‘rock up’ on trees and take time to grow.
Dicranum scoparium moss
This gorgeous moss is great for adding patches to the lawn. It's amazing under foot, so soft and spongy and easy to maintain.
Oak moss lichen
Silver birch
Silver birch trees often don't grow straight in these habitats, so to celebrate nature’s resilience, I’ve included a leaning tree. Embrace the imperfect, don't get rid of it.
Lichen takes time to grow on the bark of a tree, thriving on sunlight and moisture. There are many different types of lichen that spread slowly with wonderful names from oak moss to shaggy strap and handwriting lichen.
6 places to see ocean giants
ne of the greatest joys of living on an island is the chance to see some of the world’s most magnificent marine megafauna. From orcas and basking sharks to bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises, seeing these animals provides some of the most exciting wildlife spectacles.
Many of these species are sociable animals, often gathering together in groups or pods to feed when food is abundant. The opportunity to witness these animals increases between April and November, making summer the prime season to spot some of the 28 different species of whales and dolphins found around the UK coastline.
When you’re out on the water or watching from the coast look out for activity at the surface. Seabirds feeding, ripples on the surface or rogue waves, a glimpse of a dorsal fin or a full leap out of the water.
While encounters are unforgettable, please respect these precious ocean giants and other marine wildlife. Give them space, stay at least 100 metres (330 feet) away to minimise disturbance and use binoculars or a camera with a zoom to watch wildlife from a safe distance.
1 Isle of Eigg, Scottish Wildlife Trust
The only UK resident orcas live in the Hebrides. Other regular sightings in the Hebrides include minke whales, basking sharks and common dolphins. Visit the Isle of Eigg for guided walks throughout the summer and discover more through the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Snorkel Trails.
Where: Isle of Eigg, The Hebrides
2 Runkerry Head, Ulster Wildlife
Some 25 species of whale, dolphin and porpoise have been recorded in Irish waters. The most frequently recorded in Northern Irish waters are minke whale, bottlenose and common dolphins, harbour porpoise and basking shark.
Where: Runkerry Head, Northern Ireland
3 Marine Drive, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
With over 350 sightings recorded in 2024, Marine Drive in Scarborough is one of the best places on the English coast to see bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises. Minke whales visit frequently and humpback whales have been sighted several times during the summer.
Where: Marine Drive, Scarborough
4 Marine Drive, Manx Wildlife Trust
You can see basking sharks, minke whales and bottlenose, common and Risso’s dolphins from the Isle of Man. Grey and common seals, plus harbour porpoises can be seen year-round. For late summer minke whale sightings go to Marine Drive on Douglas Head, when the whales follow herring to their spawning grounds.
Where: Marine Drive, Douglas Head
5
Cardigan Bay,
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales
Cardigan Bay is a hotspot for marine wildlife sightings of bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises and grey seals. There are occasional sightings of common dolphins, basking sharks, minke whales, sunfish and leatherback turtles during the summer months.
Where: Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, New Quay
6 Land’s End, Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Cornwall boasts an incredible range of megafauna sightings around its coast, from common, Risso’s, bottlenosed or white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoise, to grey and harbour seal, basking shark, blue-fin tuna, humpback, fin, minke and even the occasional orca.
Where: Land's End, Cornwall
Did you spot any megafauna?
We’d love to know how your search went. Please share your best photos with us!
@thewildlifetrusts @wildlifetrusts
