Wilder Kent Blog

As the bank holiday weekend approaches (23rd-25th August 2024), there's no better time to connect with nature and explore the great outdoors. Kent Wildlife Trust offers a variety of activities that make it easy to immerse yourself in the county's stunning landscapes and rich biodiversity. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, a family looking for a fun day out, or simply seeking a peaceful escape, we have the perfect opportunity for you...

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.

Nina Jones, Protected Area Warden takes a moment ahead of National Marine Week to explain what we can individually and collectively do to help restore and protect nature on our coasts.

The wettest winters and springs on record have had at least one benefit. The ponds and pools across Hothfield Heathlands are full of water! Ponds and pools are important to many animal species, but I always associate them with our spectacular dragonflies.

On 19th May one hundred years ago the first outdoors broadcast by the BBC was of professional cellist Beatrice Harrison playing to and with nightingales in the garden of her Surrey home. Around a million listeners tuned in to the midnight broadcast, and she performed for similar outdoor broadcasts over the next twelve years.

Margery Thomas describes another delightful May in Hothfield Heathland where volunteers conducted an amphibian torchlight survey on a number of Hothfield ponds. To learn what they found, read on!

This is a guest blog in which Nik Mitchell of Save Minster Marshes offers his perspective about the Sea Link Project and reflects on the wildlife in the area and how it could be impacted.