Wilder Kent Blog

Learn more about the wildlife and wild places in Kent and beyond.

Nature Reserves A group of Ashford Kent Wildlife Trust volunteers standing with their Wilder Kent Award certificates.

August on Hothfield Heathlands: Barn owls & volunteers

By August, floral glory has passed from the orchids (heath spotted, southern marsh and a few large hybrids) to the heather or ling. As ever, we hope for a protracted display of purple in the heathy areas, which is likely if the cool nights persist. Orchid seed is now ripening. Dust-like, dispersed on the wind, the seed contains no nutrients to support germination so needs a mycorrhizal fungus to supply nutrients from the soil to its roots. From seed to flowering takes three years or more.

Wilder Kent Strategy

Volunteers' Week 2024 - Thank you to our teams!

Our volunteers are at the heart of Kent Wildlife Trust’s work. With their time, skills, passion and energy we reach more people and work at greater scale and pace. Their contributions help ensure that Kent’s natural spaces are preserved for future generations. Through practical conservation work, data collection, education, community engagement and much much more, our volunteers are making a tangible difference.