| Brooke Bond | PG Tips Tea Cards | Woodland Wildlife


	01 COMMON OAK Common habitat: Widespread in woodlands - parks and hedgerows. Generally the most common British tree. A single oak can live longer than 250 years - grow over 30m. tall and provide homes for hundreds of insects. These insects are a source of food for birds sod other predators. It can be 40 years before the tree produces acorns. These are a further food supply for the animals of the wood. Observation hint: Look for lobed leaves and - in winter - clusters of buds at the twig tip.
	02 BADGER Common habitat: Woods and copses - cliffs and quarries. Our largest carnivorous mammal. The badger is fairly common - but being nocturnal - rarely seen. Its underground home - called a sett - consists of long tunnels and chambers - which it cleans regularly by bringing in fresh grass. The badger prefers woodland close to fields where it searches for a varied diet that includes mice - earthworms - berries and fruit. Observation hint: Look for the mound of soil and old bedding near a large tunnel entrance.
	03 STAG BEETLE Common habitat: Oakwood. The mate stag beetle's large but harmless jaws make this insect Britain's longest beetle. It is common only in parts of the south east of England. The dull black coloured adults feed on sap from oak twigs. The females lay eggs by burrowing into rotten tree stumps where larvae may remain for several years. Rotten wood is an important source of food for many woodland insects. Observation hint: Look for conspicuous antler-like jaws or mandibles.
	04 BLUEBELL Common habitat:Shady woodland and hedgerows - sea cliffs. In spring the white juice-filled bulbs of the bluebell produce clumps of narrow leaves which cover the woodland floor. These grow to be over 30cms. high. Masses of tall drooping purple-blue flowers appear from late April to early June. Bluebells have to flower early to make use of the food-producing sunlight before the leaves on the trees become too dense. Observation hint: Look for clusters of shiny leaves in early spring and later on distinctive bell-shaped flowers.
	05 JAY Common habitat: Dense woodland - hedgerows and parks. Jays are more likely lobe heard than seen as you enter oakwoods. Their screeches warn other woodland creatures of approaching danger. They take eggs and young birds for food - but also eat insect pests. In the autumn jays - like squirrels. bury acorns for winter food. Forgotten acorns may germinate and grow into oak trees. So this bird helps to spread our woods. Observation hint: Listen for the harsh cry and look for colourful pink-buff plumage.
	06 BEECH Common habitat: Parkland - hedges - forms woods in the south. Beech trees can grow 40m. tall and have smooth grey trunks. They reproduce from nuts called beech mast. Really productive years occur infrequently and then only in the warmer south. Two triangular brown nuts are formed in a hard prickly case which splits into four. Nuts are eaten by many creatures and in the past often provided food for farm animals released among the trees. Observation hint: Beech hedges keep their dead leaves in winter.
	07 LOBSTER MOth Common habitat: Beech woods in the south and south-east. Numerous leaf-eating insects are supported by the beech leaves. None is more strange than the brown lobster moth. Although the adult moth is drab - remaining unnoticed when resting - the caterpillar takes up a weird aggressive stance when threatened. It waves its unusually large front legs and swollen tail and is able to squirt formic acid at its enemies. Observation hint: Caterpillar stage June to September.
	08 BEECH TUFT FUNGI Common habitat: Beech woods. Few plants can grow without sunlight on the dark floor of beechwoods. Beech tuft fungi - therefore - take food from the trees themselves - often growing high in the branches or on stumps. The toadstools have slimy white caps and appear in clusters in late summer and autumn. A large ring hangs down from the stalk like a collar.
	09 WOOD WARBLER Common habitat: Open - mature broad leaved woodland. The wood warbler is a visitor to Britain. Well adapted In catch the many insects supported by the dense woodland foliage in summer. it could not survive the winter. Preferring woods with little undergrowth it is most common in the north and west and likes beech woods in the south - The population of wood warblers could be affected if its favourite habitat became too overgrown. Observation hint: Look for yellow throat and streak above eye.
	10 WOODMOUSE Common habitat: Fields. hedgerows and woodlands. The woodmouse is probably Britain's most common small mammal - hut is mainly nocturnal. It is most likely to he seen in winter in garden sheds and attics. Woodmice may have six litters in a year. each of up to nine young. The large population is balanced as woodmice are eaten by many enemies including the tawny owl. Observation hint: Distinct colour variation between red-brown back and grey underparts. Large oval ears.
	11 ASH Common habitat: Widely distributed. forms woods on lime-rich soils. Ash trees provide less support for wildlife than most British trees. The light airy leaves give shelter for the shortest period of the year. Pollen is dispersed by the wind and flowers do not - therefore - attract large numbers of insects - Clusters of seeds are eaten by some animals in winter. The flat shape enables the seeds to drift beyond the shade of the parent tree before germinating. Observation hint: Delicate leaves in opposite pairs in summer - black pairs of buds in winter.
	12 LESSER CELANDINE Common habitat: Shady woods and hedgerow fields - waste ground and roadsides. A common early flowering plant related to the buttercup with glossy yellow flowers. The lesser celandine flowers early so it stores food in swollen tuberous roots from year to year. It grows quickly to take advantage of weak spring sunlight. In good conditions the ground is covered with blooms from mid-February. As these early flowers often fail to seed they are sometimes supplemented by small bulbils on the leaves. Observation hint: Look for yellow star-like blooms and ivy-shaped leaves.
	13 BULLFINCH Common habitat: Parks - gardens - hedgerows and orchards. Bullfinches use their strong beaks to feed on tree seeds - especially ash. They also eat berries and feed caterpillars to their young - but are unpopular with fruit growers as they strip buds from the trees. The male has a striking rose-pink breast. The female is duller - It is thought that hull-finches may mate for life and - unlike many birds - pairs do not separate for the winter. Observation hint: White rumps and black heads clearly visible during flight
	14 DORMOUSE Common habitat: Dense woodland in the south - west and parts of the north of England. Dormice like the thick undergrowth produced by hazel coppice - once a common form of woodland management in oak-ash woods - now in decline. This may have resulted in a similar reduction in the dormouse population. Dormice are the only native British mammals that fully hibernate - using winter nests underground or holes in trees. Summer nests are built above ground from grass or honeysuckle hark. Observation hint: Look for stripped honeysuckle bark and empty hazel husks.
	15 PRIVET HAWK MOth Common habitat: Parks and gardens - ash woodland. Found in gardens on privet and lilac hushes. These shrubs are related to the ash - the caterpillar's woodland food supply. The adult moths emerge in June having spent winter underground as pupae. Eggs - laid on the backs of leaves - hatch into large bright green - purple-striped caterpillars. When threatened the caterpillars assume a hostile position. Observation hint: Pink and black striped moths fly at night. Caterpillars have a black horn.
	16 alDER Common habitat: River-sides. fenland and wet woods. The alder is Britain's only cons-hearing broad leaved tree. Lambs' tail shaped male catkins hang in clusters in spring. The pollen is dispersed in the breeze onto smaller female flowers which develop into cones. These cones have soft green scales in the summer. They turn brown in the autumn and open - releasing the seeds. These often fall Onto water and have floats which enable them to spread. Observation hint: Rough dark brown bark - cones visible throughout the year.
	17 LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER Common habitat: Woodland - old orchards and hedgerow trees. The smallest of three British woodpeckers. the lesser spotted likes deciduous wood-lands south of the Scottish border. Ills difficult to spot high in the trees but the male can he recognised by its crimson crown. Specialised for woodland life - a strong tail and two backward facing toes enable it to grip tree trunks. Its sharp bill and sensitive tongue help it to dig into the tree bark searching for insects - even in the winter. Observation hint: Black and white barring on wings and back.
	18 OTTER Common habitat: Rivers - streams and coastal areas. Britain's only native freshwater mammal - otters are adapted for catching fish and aquatic creatures. They have waterproof fur - webbed feet and rudder-like tails. Trapping - hunting and river pollution have produced a significant decline in their population and they are now protected by law. Otters hunt at night and spend most of the day in an underground 'holt' - often among the roots of the riverside trees. Observation hint: Look for the tracks in soft riverside mud.
	19 MARSH MARIGOLD Common habitat: Marshes - riversides end wet woodland. These tall buttercup-like plants - sometimes called kingcups - are found in damp areas throughout Britain. Five - or more - bright gold flowers are held on hollow stems - which sometimes lie along the ground. Unusually - the flowers are formed by the sepals (or outer leaves) and not by petals. The kidney-shaped leaves grow rapidly after springtime flowering and have very short stalks. Observation hint: Tends to grow in tufts.
	20 DAMSEL FLY Common habitat: Still or slow moving stretches of water. Damsel flies are related to dragonflies and have similar long - slender bodies - large eyes and veined wings. Water plays an important part in their life cycle. Eggs are laid in the tissue of submerged plants and the nymph catches underwater food. In summer - after several moults - the nymph crawls ups planet stem into the sunlight. Its akin splits to allow the adult winged damsel fly to emerge. Observation hint: Fluttering flight - wings held upright when at rest.
	21 SILVER BIRCH Common habitat: Planted in gardens and widespread in woods - forms pure woodlandon acid soils. Silver birch have pointed leaves with irregular toothed edges. Male catkina are visible before the leaves open in April and develop into conspicuous yellow lambs' tails. The pollen sheds Onto small erect female catkins on the same branch. Once fertilised these hang down producing many winged seeds which spread through the woods in autumn. The mature tree is graceful with light green delicate foliage. Observation hint: The silvery bark has conspicuous black patches.
	22 FOX Common habitat: Woodlands - rocky outcrops - sea cliffs. Clever ways have enabled foxes to survive since prehistoric times. They need their skills to avoid the Hunt and will even climb trees to escape. Foxes adapt readily and are now quite common scavengers in urban areas. Their diet has changed since the disease Myxomatosis virtually eliminated rabbits. However - their food varies from insects to game and farmyard chickens - one reason for their persecution. Observation hint: Red coat - bushy tail - distinctive musty smell.
	23 REDSTART Common habitat: Woodland - parkland - riverside trees. The redstart is a summer visitor. Found in Scottish birch woods it is also frequent in other woods in the north and the west but less common in the south. The brighter coloured male bass white forehead. Both sexes have chestnut tails and the male uses his as part of the courtship display. Redstarts adopt ready-made holes for nesting - sometimes using stone walls where trees are absent. Observation hint: Fiery red tail.
	24 FLY AGARIC Common habitat: Birch and pine woods. This easily recognised toadstool appears in autumn - sometimes in groups. The red caps are dotted with white patches. These are the remains of an outer skin which may wash off in the rain. The ridged gills under the cap are white and hold the reproductive spore. The toadstool feeds by an underground web of threads and - unlike many fungi - does not seem to harm the trees with which it is associated - WARNING Some woodland fungi are POISONOUS.
	25 BUFF-TIP MOth Common habitat: Parks and gardens - lime - birch and other trees. Birch leaves are a common food plant for the buff-tip larvae. The caterpillars are gregarious - sometimes so numerous that they can strip branches. Larvae pupate underground over winter. The adult is well camouflaged - closing its wings over its back when resting to resemble a birch twig. It can be recognised by the buff-coloured tips on its wings. Observation hint: Look for stripped branches and masses of yellow and black caterpillars.
	26 CROSSBILL Common habitat: Coniferous forest - particularly Scots pine. Crimson male and yellow-green female crossbills have distinctive crossed beak tips. This adaptation allows them to remove cone seeds. Those that inhabit the rare Scots pine forests have particularly strong bills to deal with the hard pine cones. They breed early so that seeds are ready when the young leave the nest. Occasionally Scandinavian cone supplies fail and large numbers of birds visit Britain. Observation hint: Cones dropped by crossbills have scales wrenched back.
	26 SCOTS PINE Common habitat: Widely grown - native only in Scotland. Scots pine can be distinguished by its flexible blue-green needles and reddish bark. The male flowers - or catkins - open in late spring and produce clouds of yellow pollen. This fertilises small cone-like female flowers. During the summer these develop into little green immature cones - but it is a full two years from pollination before the winged seeds are shed from the large brown cones. Observation hint: Branches often crowded at the top of a tall trunk.
	27 ROE DEER Common habitat: Open woodland - Scotland - North West - South and East Anglia. Roe deer are only half the size of red deer - the other native species. A preference for woodland cover enabled roe to become re-established over the last century as commercial forestry has increased. Treated as a pest many herds hadheen wiped out as forests were cleared for agriculture. The young deer are red-brown with white spots - which eventually disappear. They live ass family with the doe and buck. Observation hint: Short horns with six points - white rump.
	29 BILBERRY Common habitat: Heath - moors - upland woods. A small - spreading - deciduous shrub common in acid soils and exposed country. It is - therefore - often associated with trees that tolerate similar conditions and sometimes forms the ground cover in birch and pinewoods. Drooping greenish-pink flowers provide pollen for bees from April to June and juicy blue-black berries are also an important fond source for birds in the autumn. Observation hint: Slightly toothed bright green leaves.
	30 borderED WHITE MOth Common habitat: Coniferous woodlands. The bordered white moth is common in coniferous woodland - particularly pine - throughout Britain. The adult flies in daylight during May and June. Caterpillars feed on pine needles from August to October and can cause considerable damage in plantations. The green and white striped larvae loop their backs as they move about and the insect is some-times known as the pine looper moth. Observation hint: Adult moth at rest holds its wings upright.
	31 EUROPEAN LARCH Common habitat: Wide commercial planting. Not a native tree but introduced on a large scale for timber production. Unlike moat conifers it is deciduous and the extra light results in more plant life than in most plantations. In the spring yellow pollen-producing male flowers and upright pink female flowers appear before clumps of needles. Fertile flowers ripen during the summer to produce barrel-shaped cones which release winged seeds the same autumn. Observation hint: Straw-coloured knobbly twigs in winter.
	32 RED SQUIRREL Common habitat: Coniferous woodland - upland areas and East Anglia. More at home in conifers the red squirrel is seen less than the introduced grey squirrel - which has been successful in establishing itself where the red squirrel has disappeared. Both species damage tree hark. Cones eaten by squirrels will be stripped - whereas crossbills wrench back the scales to release the seeds. By burying surplus food squirrels play an important part in seed dispersal. Observation hint: Red coat - lighter tail and ear tufts.
	33 FOXGLOVE Common habitat: Woodland clearings - hedge banks and waste land. The tall spikes of drooping - pink-purple flowers all face one way and attract insects from early summer. In autumn many small seeds scatter widely - quickly colonising open spaces. As conifers are often planted where the soil allows little else to grow dark plantations are not usually associated with masses of wild flowers. But when some trees are felled - or a freak fire lets sunshine in - foxgloves thrive. Observation hint: Clumps of large downy leaves.
	34 LONG-EARED OWL Common habitat: Coniferous woods generally. The long-eared owl has benefited from the spread of commercial conifers. It roosts by day but can sometimes be seen hunting over open country. It takes over an old magpie or crow's nest and both adults feed the young. Woodmice are among its favourite prey. The long feathered tufts are only used for display. The real ears are lopsided to help locate sound sources. Observation hint: Look for pellets of undigested fur and bones.
	35 PINEAPPLE GalL Common habitat: Spruce plantations. The gall formed on Norway spruce - the familiar Christmas tree - is caused by an aphid. The oddly shaped structures protect the aphid nymphs until they are ready to emerge. The term gall is used to describe abnormal tissue growth in plants caused by a variety of parasites and insects. As the galls grow they provide food for the larva inside. Perhaps the best known are oak apples - made by gall wasps. Observation hint: Pineapple-shaped swellings on branches.
	36 HAWthORN Common habitat: Widespread ass tree and hedgerow shrub. Hawthorn has been widely planted as hedgerow because its thorns make an effective barrier for farm animals. It comes into leaf in April and flowers in May. Bright red haws ripen in October and provide food for birds and small mammals through much of the winter. Away from hedges hawthorn trees spring up and give early protection to oak and other trees. Observation hint: Small sharply lobed leaves -
	37 WREN Common habitat: Widespread in woodlands - hedgerows and gardens with cover. A common brown bird with a slightly curved bill - Its jerky mouse-like movements can be seen in hedgerows as it searches for insects. It stays in Britain through the year - but finds it difficult to survive hard winters. One of our smallest birds - it has an extremely loud song for its size. The hen bird chooses from several nests built by the male and then lines it with feathers. Observation hint: Look for short upright tail.
	38 CUCKOO PINT Common habitat: Under hedgerows - shady woods. The bright red berries are produced in autumn. In the spring the cuckoo pint - or lords and ladies - has glossy green arrow-shaped leaves. From these a pale green pointed hood unrolls revealing a purple column below which the flowers are hidden. Flies - attracted by an unpleasant scent - are imprisoned at the base of the hood long enough for pollination to be completed WARNING - The plant and berries are POISONOUS.
	39 HEDGEHOG Common habitat: Hedgerows - open woods and gardens. Hedgehogs are most likely lobe seen at dusk hunting for insects. They eat slugs and snails and - as they tend to hibernate in garden rubbish - care should be taken not to harm them when tidying up. Foxes and badgers are their main enemies. Rolling into a prickly ball when disturbed protects them from most predators - but many are killed on the road. Observation hint: Listen for hedgehogs shuffling through
	40 SMalL TORTOISESHELL Common habitat: Widespread throughout Britain. Our most common brightly coloured butterfly. Quite large numbers hibernate through the winter and flying warm days. In the spring they lay eggs - producing a new generation of butterflies by early summer. These also lay eggs and the black and yellow caterpillars pupate by August and emerge in time to produce a second batch of adults which will hibernate. Observation hint: Caterpillars feed on stinging nettles.

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