Working as we do in woodland and with volunteers and members of the public, we have to be mindful of safety. High winds and heavy rain unfortunately led to the cancellation of all our monthly Maintenance and Conservation events in September, October and November.
Some years ago a member of the committee had the idea to plant a small fruit orchard on the middle field. It seemed a good idea at the time. Now, a couple of years later, the full scale of the task of maintenance in the face of full scale scrub…
The Folly is the excavated area in the old ornamental gardens in the northern part of the Woods. It is a popular area used by a couple of children’s nurseries who come to the Woods every week for play and storytelling. They sit on cut sections of logs and…
Himalayan Balsam is an invasive species which has become a major problem across the whole country and here at Childwall Woods and Fields it has taken over thousands of square metres especially on the lower and middle fields. We have spent countless hours trying to prevent it encroaching on to…
The triangular area as you enter through the main lodge gate was once a grassy woodland glade. But in recent years it has been invaded by bramble. Today 6 volunteers completed the work of clearing the bramble roots before sewing seeds of native wildflowers. It was hard work and…
Our beech woods are lovely and are one of the habitats that makes Childwall Woods special. But it is also true that beech is a very dominant species that tends to suppress the understorey vegetation growing beneath. The CWF reserve is full of naturally regenerating beech saplings – both on…
Hedgerows are important for wildlife; you might have noticed them increasingly mentioned because they increase biodiversity and provide habitats for animals and plants. We don’t have a lot of hedgerows at Childwall Woods and Fields, but the one we do have on Childwall Lane is historic. This is one of…
After cancelling two of our winter Maintenance and Conservation events because of rain, it was great to finally welcome in the early spring with an event to extend the flower diversity of our beautiful woods. Snowdrops are a welcome sign of the end of winter and a wonderful food source…
300 crocus corms planted in woods by a team of 8 volunteers
Although there are some wonderful paths in Childwall Woods it’s a continuous battle to keep them open. Nettles and brambles reach across them constantly making walking difficult and occasionally a tree will drop a branch making it impossible to pass. All of these hazards were the focus of the Maintenance…