Bordered white (Bupalus piniaria)

This species of moth is associated with native pine woodlands as the caterpillars like to feed on Scot’s pine, Spruce,Larch and Corsican Pine, all species that can be found in the compartments of horse pasture woods. ‘Caterpillars...

Not long left now to take part in the Big Butterfly Count, which finishes on August 7th!
https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

This easily recognisable butterfly is very common throughout the Uk, and has...

Ringlet butterfly (Aphantopus hyperantus)

Spotted recently at the wood this small butterfly is dark and drab compared to some of our other native butterflies, which of course helps it blend into its environment. ‘The dark colouring also allows this butterfly to quickly...

Silver washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia)

‘A large fast flying butterfly, separated from other fritillaries by its pointed wings and silver streaks on the undersides which can be viewed as it stops to feed on flowers such as Bramble.’ (Butterfly-conservation.org.uk) This brightly coloured...

Peacock butterfly (Inachis io)

Or to give it is full name the European peacock, but more commonly known simply as the peacock butterfly, is a colourful butterfly, found in Europe and temperate Asia as far east as Japan.
‘The Peacock's...

Small White Butterfly (Pieris rapae)

The small white has bright white wings, with grey/black tips, with one or two black wing spots. Common across the Uk, it also known as the cabbage white, along with its larger cousin the large white, which...

Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata)

Recently we posted about the brimstone butterfly, well by chance we spotted this brimstone moth on the side of our container. Moths and butterflies are very difficult to get photos of as they don’t stay still for long,...

Recently Low Weald Explorers visited Cart wood, and constructed a traditional scout alter fire, using some of the left over chestnut poles from coppicing. Great to pass on these skills to the young people.

King Alfred cakes (Daldinia concentrica)

A fungi post but with a difference!

‘King Alfred’s cakes look like hard, roundish lumps of coal stuck to the surface of decaying wood. The older they get, the darker they become. They...

Common Woodlouse (Oniscus asellus)

So often we concentrate on the big flashy bird, or large mammal, that it’s good to consider some of the smaller residents of the wood, who you could argue form a more important role in the complex webs...

Recently the team planted the final whips from the latest batch of trees. Through this project young people of all ages from across the district have planted over 1600 young trees at our facility. We now have trees lining the whole of the western boundary...

The Low Weald explorers visited recently to help out with some maintenance work. Their leaders felt they had enjoyed using the facility lots, and wanted to give something back. Being a warm day we asked the explorers to get some wellies on and help us...

Last week saw the return of the 6th Tonbridge (Hadlow) Scouts, on their second of a two week rotation. Some young people continued the tree planting project for us, whilst the other half practiced their axe and saw skills whilst filling these unique bug huts!...

Last week saw a visit from the 8th Tonbridge (Hildenborough) Cubs, who practiced their fire lighting skills in the coppice area. What better use of a fire than to toast some marshmallows. We hope you had fun and look forward to your visit next time.

Last weekend saw explorers from Low Weald and Central combine for the evening and overnight at the wood. Both units are attending the Kent International Jamboree in a few weeks time, so this was an opportunity for the young people to get to know each...

Ladybird larvae (coccinella sp) (This picture is Coccinella septempunctata)

Most readers will be familiar with the common ladybird,(also known as ladybugs, or lady beetles) and we wrote a post a while back about the many different species native to the Uk. However,...

Black lace weaver spider (Amaurobius ferox)

This black spider grows up to 16mm (female) and 12mm (male) and can be found all year round across the Uk.
‘Black Lace Weavers have a dark brown coloured body, and the abdomen has pale...

Brimstone Butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni)

We saw some bright yellow butterflies in the top clearing recently, and are not 100% sure if our identification because they were moving quickly and we were unable to catch an image of them at rest. However one...