Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

The Burton & District Local Group are hosting a talk 'The UK Water Industry; Wildlife Friend of Foe?' with Kevin Gaunt.

⏰ Tuesday 1 October, 7.30pm
📍 All Saints Church, Branston Road, Burton upon Trent, DE14 3GP
Cost is £3.50, including fairtrade refreshments.

More info via link in comments below.
📷 by Bertie Gregory/2020VISION

Want to take some time out from the daily grind and reconnect with nature? We can help! 💚

Our Wild Beings sessions at The Wolseley Centre are just for adults, enabling you to reconnect and discover nature in little ways. The sessions run on Fridays, and this week is all about discovering the undercover world of water by enjoying a spot of pond dipping. 💦

Join us from 10am to 12pm this Friday 20 September to enjoy some time outside and learn something new.

🚨 We offer a student and bluelight card discount on these sessions, simply enter Beings2024 in the discount box on booking and show your card at the event.

More details via link in the comments.⬇️

The North West Local Group are hosting a talk 'What have Trees done for us?' with Dr Peter Thomas.

⏰ Friday 27 September, 7.30pm
📍 Maer Village Hall, ST5 5EF
No booking needed. £3 including refreshments.

📷 A Staffordshire native black poplar by David Cadman

The UK’s peatland soils store around 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon, but are heavily degraded and release the equivalent of 23 million tonnes of CO2 every year. Restoring them to prevent this emission is one of the most cost-effective nature-based solutions to climate change. 🌍

Next Friday (20 September) we'll be at the event at Uttoxeter Racecourse to talk about nature's role in tackling the climate crisis. So if you're coming along, do come and chat to us on our stand. We're also hosting a workshop 'Taking action for nature and climate' to enable you to learn more about how you can take action for nature, either as an individual or part of a business or other organisation.

Our Chief Executive Julian Woolford is looking forward to joining Autumnwatch's Michaela Strachan and fellow panellists Prof Miles Richardson, of Derby University, and Matt Lovatt, of Trentham Monkey Forest, for a stimulating discussion about why a thriving natural world is fundamental to a sustainable future, helping to stabilise climate and benefit people's health and wellbeing.

Book your spot below.

If you're interested in making more space for nature in your local community we have just the event for you.

We're partnering with VAST to host this Green Conversations event in Stoke-on-Trent in a few weeks time.

This networking event is for voluntary and community groups in Staffordshire who are interested in ‘green’ issues - whether you're already a 'green' organisation or you're looking to take your first steps into sustainability.

📆 10am - 12pm on Wednesday 25 September
📍 The Dudson Centre, Hanley, ST1 5DD

Find out more and book your spot via the link below.

📷 by Fergus Coyle

Where in the wild is this? 🧐

We thought we'd have a bit of fun posting a photo taken at one of our nature reserves along with some clues to see if you can guess where it is... We'll reveal the answer tomorrow!

There are no prizes, it's just a bit of fun.

This week's reserve has two large ponds including this one... They support a wide variety of wildlife, including a good population of frogs, common and great crested newts, plus many invertebrates including large red damselfly and common darter dragonflies.

There is also some fascinating and varied birdlife here, including cuckoo, yellow hammer, tree pipit and green woodpecker. If you're lucky you might also spot a fairly rare butterfly if you visit in summer, they can be seen enjoying the dappled sunlight in the woodland glades.🌳

Add your answer in the comments below!

📷 CN Harding

The Leek Local Group are hosting a talk all about Life in the Ravines next week.

Hear first hand about the inspiring work this project is doing from Mark Young of Natural England. He'll be sharing insight into the restoration work of the Peak District Dales woodland, including SWT's Castern Wood nature reserve (pictured), which have been seriously damaged by ash dieback.

📍 St Paul’s Church Hall, Novi Lane, Leek, ST13 6NU
📆 Wednesday 11 Sept at 7.30pm
💷 Admission £5 per person including refreshments.

More info via link in comments.

Where in the wild is this? 🧐

We thought we'd have a bit of fun posting a photo taken at one of our nature reserves along with some clues to see if you can guess where it is... We'll reveal the answer tomorrow!

There are no prizes, it's just a bit of fun.

This week's reserve has some stunning old beech trees, and a stream winds it way alongside one of the tracks. It’s a great place for a spot of woodland birdwatching or forest bathing. The reserve is part landscaped and part natural. 🌳

Add your answer in the comments below!

It's time to set seed! 🌱 The ponds are dug, the grass is mown, and now the next phase of work in the Stafford Brooks project is about to begin - Grassland enhancements. You can read all about the project's latest achievements in our new blog by Senior Marketing and Communications Officer, Christine Harding.

Link in the comments. 👇

Photos of newly made ponds by Project Manager, Rob Woodhouse.

Environment Agency National Highways Stafford Borough Council

Although records for these are mainly in the south of the country, it's worth being aware of the importance of reporting sightings, just in case you come across one.

They can be identified and distinguished from the native European hornets using this handy guide:
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/how-identify/have-you-found-hornet

Wild Beings sessions are back at The Wolseley Centre starting Friday!

This programme is designed to allow adults to reconnect and discover nature in little ways. The sessions run on a Friday, and this week is all about discovering the massive world of miniature creatures - insects. 🐝

Join us from 10am to 12pm, on Friday 6 of September to have some outside time and learn something new. 🐞

We are happy to announce that we are now offering a blue light discount on these sessions. More details at the link in the comments:

https://orlo.uk/cgpc7

Our team is gearing up for the upcoming planting season with a flurry of activity. 🌳

We're in the process of cleaning up the planted areas, marking out the sections for future planting, and conducting thorough surveys to assess the survival rates of various tree species. It's a busy time, with the tree planting season just around the corner.

We are ensuring that all the necessary resources, such as saplings, and tools, are readily available. Setting the stage for another successful season of woodland restoration. 👏

We're bringing some brightness to your day with this stunning sycamore moth caterpillar. 💛

As the name suggests, these brightly coloured caterpillars feast on the leaves of sycamore trees, as well as other deciduous trees.

The adult moth has a wingspan of around 45mms and can be seen flying in June.

📷 Thanks to our membership officer Emma Ralls for sharing these beautiful images.

Earlier last week, Ian Jones, Regional Director of The EA, visited areas where Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Environment Agency have been working together to improve habitat and discuss our upcoming work in the Trent catchment. Together, using holistic approaches across river catchments we can make improvements for wildlife and people.

Photo by David Cadman

It's the end of summer and our team has been hay cutting, preparing meadows for next year with our new mini hay cutting kit! 🎉

Wherever possible, we locally source our hay and seed, so that this can be transported to places to plant more wildflower meadows, where appropriate.

We're excited to be attending the Climate Expo. It's free to attend, so register your place now.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading nature conservation charity, and will be joining us again at the Climate Expo. They work to protect wildlife, restore natural habitats and connect people to nature. They manage 45 nature reserves around the county, from ancient woodlands to wildflower meadows. They work with a range of partners to tackle the nature and climate crisis, including local authorities, businesses, schools and community groups.

On their stand, they'll be showcasing their work, the role of nature in tackling climate change and how people can support nature recovery, so make a note to have a chat with them when you visit.

Have you got your free ticket to attend?
BOOK A TICKET: https://buff.ly/3VV52zY

📅 20 September 2024
🕓 10:00-16:00
📍 Uttoxeter Racecourse, Staffordshire ST14 8BD

The Lichfield Local Group are hosting a talk 'Dangerous Animals and How to Survive them'

⏰ Tues, 3 Sept, 7.45pm.
📍 Wade Street Church Hall, Wade Street Church Hall, Lichfield, WS13 6HL
Cost is £3.50, under 16s FREE

More info via link in comments below.
📷 by Peter Norbury

Join Burton & District Local Group for a talk 'Dispelling the myths, an introduction to bats' with Kevin Reynolds next week.

⏰ Tuesday 3 September, 7.30pm
📍 All Saints Church, Branston Road, Burton upon Trent, DE14 3GP
💷 £3.50, including fairtrade refreshments.

More info via link in comments below.

Where in the wild is this? 🧐

We thought we'd have a bit of fun posting a photo taken at one of our reserves along with some clues to see if you can guess where it is... We'll reveal the answer tomorrow!

There are no prizes, it's just a bit of fun.

This week's reserve has a wet area bursting with an array of plant life, including this beautiful cotton grass... Other species here include bilberry and cowberry. Meanwhile another part of the reserve features an impressive disused quarry which provides the perfect spot for many invertebrates. 🐝

Add your answer in the comments below! 🌟

Interested in making more space for nature in your local community? We're partnering with VAST to host this Green Conversations event in Stoke-on-Trent next month.

This networking event is for voluntary and community groups in Staffordshire who are interested in ‘green’ issues - whether you're already a 'green' organisation or you're looking to take your first steps into sustainability.

📆 10am - 12pm on Wednesday 25 September
📍 The Dudson Centre, Hanley, ST1 5DD

Find out more and book your spot via the link below. There's also a link to Staffordshire Green Network Facebook group.

📷 by Fergus Coyle

Want to learn all about bats?

Join the Lichfield Wildlife Group and Staffordshire Bat Group for a bat walk this Saturday 31 of August.

⏰ Starts at 8pm
📍 At Fisherwick Lakes, Fisherwick Wood Lane, Whittington WS13 8QF.
💷 FREE

The walk will be led by Heather Lomas and no booking is needed.

For more information please contact Heather at 01543 263082

📷 Photo by Dale Sutton 2020 VISION

Learn more about Staffordshire Wildlife Trust – the lead partner of Transforming the Trent Valley scheme. Link in the first comment