Discover a Yorkshire rich in wildlife…
1 Adel Dam
Adel Dam is a perfect tranquil wildlife experience on the fringe of Leeds. Meander along the woodland and boardwalk paths, making sure to stop at our viewpoints to look out over the lakes; stay long enough and you’re almost guaranteed to spot kingfishers and capture some stunning photographs at our Marsh Hide.
2 Hetchell Wood
The perfect wild adventure, Hetchell Wood has towering rocky crags, secret pools, gnarly tree roots and a stunning flush of autumnal seasonal colour. It is also home to some very strange and special plants like the driedlooking thistle broomrape, and purple pom-poms of devil’s-bit scabious.
3 Low Wood
4 Brockadale
Brockadale’s steep slopes have never been ploughed or fertilised, resulting in a rare grass and woodland habitat nationally famous for its annual explosion of summer wildflowers. Over 300 species of plants grow on the reserve, consisting of 33% of Yorkshire’s flora, and with the woodland, provide food and shelter for 450 moth and 30 butterfly species.
Low Wood is especially worth a visit for its perfumed carpet of bluebells and foxgloves in spring, and over 36 species of fascinating fungi in autumn. Sharp-eyed visitors might spot the occasional badger, roe deer, tawny owl or bat!
5 Water Haigh Woodland Park
This wide-ranging reserve of the Lower Aire Valley has something for everyone, from woodland rambles to rewilding meadows, young wetland and riverside walks. Birds of prey can be spotted wheeling overhead, roe deer in the misty grassland and otters on the canal.
6 Ledsham Bank
Tucked away in a magical magnesian limestone valley, Ledsham Bank has some serious flower power. Visit in June and July to enjoy brilliant blooms, including pyramidal and common spotted orchids and the extremely rare pasque flower. Spot some beautiful butterflies including the marbled white and comma.
7 Townclose Hills
This special grassland boasts spectacular views, fabulous flowers and beautiful butterflies, but it’s a small beetle that’s the twinkling star attraction – visit on a summer’s night for an illuminating encounter with elusive and rare glow worms!
8 Stoneycliffe Wood
This stunning oak and birch woodland, with its meandering beck, charms visitors with bluebells and wild garlic in spring, stoats and spotted flycatchers in summer, fungi such as fly agaric, puffballs and chicken of the woods in autumn and wonderful woodpeckers in winter.
Hetchell Wood
Otter
Brockadale
Yorkshire. Home to some of the most magical wildlife and wild places you’ll ever see.
Whether it’s a close encounter with puffins on spectacular white cliffs, multicolour meadows buzzing with bees and brim-full of butterflies, or wondrous wetlands welcoming wintering wildfowl and waders in their thousands, our grand and glorious part of the world is a cracking place to experience nature at its best.
It’s incredible how much wildlife you can find on the doorstep of our most urban region. From the wildflowers and butterflies of rolling grasslands to the amazing variety of birds and insects in wetlands and ancient woodlands, the west has some wonderfully wild places to visit!
Find out more about the 100+ reserves in our care and be inspired to go wild at ywt.org.uk/nature-reserves
Join us at one of our great wild events! From family fun to expert encounters, there’s something for everyone in our year-round programme! Get planning how you’ll next experience Yorkshire’s incredible wildlife at ywt.org.uk/our-events
Brockadale
Our members make a real and lasting difference for Yorkshire’s wildlife and wild places. Please join us today!
When you join us, you’ll enjoy:
n Unlimited free admission and parking at our visitor centres
n A subscription to our quarterly Wildlife Yorkshire magazine
n Discounts on some of our unforgettable wild events
n Invitations to exclusive experiences and more!
Plus when you pay by monthly Direct Debit, we’ll also send you a FREE copy of Discover Yorkshire’s Wildlife worth £14.99 - the most comprehensive guide to where, when and how to see wildlife in Yorkshire!
