Wilder Kent Blog

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

Poisonous plants & grazing animals' natural instincts

In Kent, our grazing animals roam the reserves using their instincts and experience to guide them towards delicious nutritious vegetation and away from potentially toxic plants. This deep-rooted wisdom is a product of evolution and survival instincts passed down from generation to generation but particularly prevalent in the old-fashioned breeds that we use.

Nature Reserves

Our plans for Polhill

How do you restore a chalk downland? Our appeal to purchase an extension to our existing Polhill Bank nature reserve offers us a unique opportunity to restore an additional 26 acres of arable land into a rare and biodiverse habitat in Sevenoaks, Kent. But how do we achieve this goal? Here are our plans.

Nature Reserves A panorama of Polhill Bank on a sunny day with blue skies.

Our work transforming Polhill Bank into species-rich chalk downland

Our work at Polhill Bank has been ongoing for several years now. Over time, we have purchased more neighbouring patches of land there, adding up to around 16 hectares now under our nature-positive management. In many ways, our wilding journey in the area goes back more than a decade; in others, it’s only just begun.

Nature Reserves Check with team about when recall training is happening

Grazing animal tactics in cold weather

As the cold snap of winter rolls in across the country, our grazing animals showcase a diverse array of adaptations, evolved over time to contend with plummeting temperatures and the reduction in leafy vegetation cover across Kent’s nature reserves.

Wilding A group of brown iron-age brown pigs among wildflower in West Blean

Pigs and wildflower meadows

The value of pigs in restoring woodlands is being increasingly recognised. For instance, pigs break up dense mats of pine needles to get new seedlings.