Margaret's Wood
Sprawling oaks and towering beech trees form a beautiful mature woodland on the lower slopes of Whitebrook Valley, full of plants and woodland birds.
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Chwilio
Chalk rivers
Cool, crystal-clear waters flow over gravelly beds, streaming through white-flowered water-crowfoot and watercress in serene lowland landscapes.
Serrated wrack
This brown seaweed lives in the lower shore and gets its name from the serrated edges to its fronds.
Three-spined stickleback
A diminutive but aggressive predator, the three-spined stickleback hunts tadpoles and small fish. It is also known for fiercely protecting its nest of eggs until they hatch. Look for it in ponds,…
Eel
The eel is famous for both its slippery nature and its mammoth migration from its freshwater home to the Sargasso Sea where it breeds. It has suffered dramatic declines and is a protected species…
Great crested newt
With its prominent, wavy crest, the great crested newt, also known as the 'warty newt', looks like a mini dinosaur! This protected species favours clean ponds during the breeding season…
Kitty's Orchard
The tranquil woodland and flower-rich meadow of this reserve is a haven for wildlife and the perfect spot for lazy summer picnics.
Lowland calcareous grassland
Typical of softly rolling pastoral landscapes, the short, aromatic turf of lowland calcareous grassland is flower-rich and humming with insects in the summer. Its long use by humans lends it an…
Red campion
Just as the bluebells finish flowering in our woodlands, the rose-red blooms of red campion start to brighten up the woodland floor. Look for this pretty plant in hedges and roadsides, too.
Piercefield Woods Nature Reserve
Piercefield woods are the gateway to the Lower Wye Valley, stretching for over 3km along the river from near Chepstow castle in the south to Wyndcliff woods and the Eagle’s Nest in the North.
Nursery web spider
A common spider of heathland and grassland, the Nursery web spider has brown and black stripes running the length of its body. It is an active hunter, only using its silk to create a protective…
Sugar kelp
Sugar kelp is the crinkly belt like kelp that can often be found in deep rockpools on the lower shore or washed up on the beach after rough seas.