Springtime blues: now is the time to enjoy some of Croydon’s green spaces
The London Wildlife Trust has recommended two of its nature reserves in Croydon as among the best places in the capital to find springtime displays of bluebells.
But you need to hurry if you are to enjoy this springtime spectacular. This year’s bluebells are already starting to bloom – around a month earlier than usual, meaning that there’s just a couple of weekends to catch them at their best.
Bluebells spend most of the year hidden beneath the soil of ancient woodlands, bursting into bloom when sunlight still reaches the woodland floor before the trees reach full leaf capacity.
LWT recommends:
A magical oak woodland alive with spring colour, including bluebells and dog-violets. Look out for woodpeckers, stag beetles and the largest woodland pond in Croydon.
Bramley Bank is a 25-acre reserve in Upper Shirley. It is owned by Croydon Council and managed by London Wildlife Trust. Access via Riesco Drive, CR2 7LG.
This beautiful hillside reserve is known for its sweeping bluebell displays, rare wildflowers and an impressive variety of butterflies and moths.
The entrance to Hutchinson’s Bank is easily reached from the New Addington tram stop. The 54-acre reserved has benefited from the return of natural grazing but a flock of LWT-managed sheep.
Go quackers with DucklingWatch
Mallards may be the country’s most common duck, but there’s still plenty we don’t know about how their ducklings survive and grow.
DucklingWatch is a citizen science project asking people to record sightings of mallard broods, helping researchers better understand duckling survival and support future conservation.
The observations are important: a University of Essex study in 2022 began investigating why the country’s winter population of ducks has dropped by an estimated 36% since 1995.
To take part in DucklingWatch, simply share details such as location, date, number of ducklings and their approximate age.
Click here to take part in the survey.
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