Woodland poem competition winners

This summer, we asked budding poets to put pen to paper to celebrate Wiltshire’s precious woodlands.

Adult winner 2023

Watching the Wildlife - By Coralie Noakes

If you take a trip to a woodland today

Perhaps to the fine Blackmoor Copse

Sprinklings of flowers you’ll find on your way

With butterflies there on their tops!

Violets, bluebells and primroses too

Are butterfly magnets for sure

The sweet purple emperor’s beautiful hue

Is striking and hard to ignore!

The great Blackmoor Copse is completely alive

With butterflies flying around

A whole host of species, in fact twenty-five

Right here in this wood can be found!

You might spot some dormice in search of some fruit

Or out for a hazelnut treat

Maybe some muntjac, quite shy but so cute

Are deer you’ll be lucky to meet!

In spring, King Charles pond will have toads and newts breeding

In summer, the dragonflies dart

Perhaps you’ll hear woodpeckers drumming and feeding

Their pecking sound sets them apart!

The wonderful woodcock’s a hard-to-spot bird

But here, in this copse, it’s residing

Perhaps you’ll not see it, unless it is stirred

Its camouflage helps it with hiding!

In Wiltshire, the Wildlife Trust’s proud of this wood

And each of our nature reserves

We care for the wildlife, like everyone should

And give it the care it deserves!

Enjoy all the wildlife and take time to savour

Each wonderful sound, sight and smell

And if you’ve enjoyed it, we ask a big favour

Please tell all your loved ones as well!

Under-16s winner 2023

Seasons Glory - By Sarah Dickens

The summer’s sun a dragon’s eye

So slowly do the days go by

Asking when will the season turn

As my skin begins to burn

Autumn is a season foretold

Where flowers die and leaves turn gold

Like confetti they swirl around

A brown carpet coats the ground

When winter arrives most life will go

Rotting leaves hidden by snow

A cotton blanket coats the earth

Like a swaddle given at birth

The spring dances us out of cold gloom

The trees will blossom and flowers bloom

The weather is pretty and days are warm

(though there may be the occasional storm)

Whichever you prefer, remember this:

If a season should go amiss

Each season is needed for earth to grow

Even if you despise it so.

This competition followed the exciting news earlier this year that Wiltshire Wildlife Trust purchased an ancient woodland in North Wiltshire called Great Wood, thanks to funding from Biffa Award via the Landfill Communities Fund and other generous donations.

The competition was judged by local artist Joanna May and children’s author Sue Tweedie. Congratulations to our two winning poets, Coralie Noakes and Sarah Dickens, and all those who entered. We were blown away by the quality of poems that were submitted!

Plan your visit to Blackmoor Copse at: www.wiltshirewildlife.org/blackmoor