Little Oaks and our wilding project

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Little Oaks  sits in its own post and railed and gated paddock. Behind the hut are two Oaks and an Ash. These three trees are believed to be around 300 years old, and originally made up the line of the old Post Lane, that carried carriages and horses from the North to the South. 

We have been caring for these trees, culling dead branches, and killing off the Ivy that threatened them. Today they have been given a full bill of health from our arborist.

We have added to the trees with two Willows, Silver Birch, Beech and Acer and will soon add our own home grown saplings of Beech, Oak and Dogwood.

However, that's not all. Whilst we have a "lawn" cut into the paddock for Guests' enjoyment, we have actively left most of the paddock to Wilding, which is the process of encouraging local and native species of plants to grow for the benefit of wildlife.

Below are some of the plants and flowers you may find in amongst the Wilding areas.

We ask you to enjoy but not damage this natural habitat.

First up - we have cultivated a large pile of dead and rotting wood. What a great habitat for all sorts of creatures.

We know we have toads, frogs and stag beetles in amongst the breaking-down wood. We know there are stag beetles lava there too. The lava stays in the rotting wood for five years before becoming a beetle, so please leave their home alone to give them a chance!

We have seen Grass snakes and Adders. Of course a grass snake is technically a worm, but we have them both.

This pile is NOT FOR BURNING !! Not only is it some creatures home, it is totally unsuitable for any of the fires.

Various fungi are growing in the ground in the Wilding areas. Many are poisonous, so be careful. We aren't sure why they grow in specific places, or what is under the ground to bring them to life. None the less, they are great to see and watch.

A beautiful grass in the wet areas, with light floating seed pods. Hanging Sedge is  an important plant for creating wildlife-friendly landscapes. It provides habitat and food for a variety of wildlife species, and its deep root system can help to create a healthy soil ecosystem.

An English native grass found in the damper areas. Meadow Foxtail, so named because the seed head looks like a foxes tail.

Butterflies and their caterpillars love this grass, but its main use is for hay-making where it is a great addition to the meadow hay.

This tiny flower likes to grow in clumps, although only a few flowers open at any one time. It flowers all summer through from March to October, but is easily missed in amongst the taller grasses.

Used in ancient times as a medicine, Thyme-leaved Speedwell is an important plant for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. The flowers provide a good source of nectar for these insects. The plant is also an important food source for certain butterfly larvae, such as the Common Blue and Brown Argus butterflies.

Another member of the Speedwell family, as the name suggests this version like to grow along the ground. Again you will find it in small clumps.

As with other Speedwells, it was used as medicines, even for snake bites, but certainly the pollinators love this flower as its nectar is sweet and plentiful.

Yet another member of the Speedwell family! A good luck charm for travellers, so best you don't stand on it!

Germander Speedwell continues to flower from March to early June, and attracts small bumblebees, solitary bees like the Ashy mining bee,  and occasionally a few honeybees.

What a beautiful flower, seen from April through to September, and is a member of the Chickweed family. 

It attracts bees and butterflies, and is a great source of nectar to these pollinators.

So named because it is one of the first flowers out, when the sound of the cuckoo starts. It flowers throughout Spring, but not in the summer. It is a great flower that attracts bees and butterflies, especially the early up ones! The flower stands taller than others, and is ahead of the grass, so is easily spotted and  identified.

This amazing plant's sole purpose is to attract pollinators, particularly small midges and flies.

The plant's hood is warmer than the surrounding area, and once ripe, it emits a cowpat-like smell. Flies land on the spathe, fall down into a chamber at its base, and are trapped by downward-pointing hairs until they have pollinated the tiny flowers within. The insects are then covered in pollen from the male flowers.

However be careful. When ripe the flower smells like cow manure and the red berries are poisonous, and could give you a rash, even blisters, so leave them well alone!

You will see a fair amount of this plant on the edges of the paddock, and in amongst the grass. It grows tall and stands above other plants.

Cow parsley is important for many insects because it provides nectar and pollen early in the season. It's also a food source for the Common Brindled Brown moth and a nectar source for Orange-Tip butterflies. Cow parsley is also home to about forty species of insects, including beetles, hoverflies, aphids, and moths.

Ground Ivy is a great plant. It grows as a dense mat that many insects struggle to cross, and therefore it controls pests like cucumber worms, hornworms, and beetles. 

Ground Ivy is also a great nectar resource for insects early in the year, especially bees. Its small, green flowers produce a lot of pollen and nectar, attracting a wide range of insect types including honey bees, other bees, hover flies, other flies, late season butterflies like the Red Admiral, and wasps.

Red Dead-Nettle is an important food source for many insects, including bees, butterflies, and long-tongued bees. The flowers produce nectar, which attracts bees, and the leaves provide food for caterpillars. It grows tall, so competes with the grasses.

Despite being a Nettle, it doesn't sting you.

No - It doesn't sting you, although its cousin will! 

Lots of different species of long-tongued insects visit the flowers of white dead-nettle, including the red mason bee, white-tailed bumblebee and burnished brass moth. The caterpillars of the garden tiger and angle shades moths feed on the leaves, as do Green tortoise beetles.

Yup, this fella will sting you -so keep away. Incidentally he stings cattle and  sheep as well.

The common nettle is a native plant in the UK that supports over 40 species of insects. The nettle's sting to grazing animals provides a safe habitat for insects, such as aphids, whilst the nettle's seeds provide food for birds. The insects also use the nettle sting as a shield, providing food for ladybirds, as you can see from our picture.

Creeping buttercup is a perennial plant that provides food and nectar for many insects, including bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. It's also a food source for beetles, leafhoppers, leaf mining flies, and birds. Sadly it isn't great for Sheep and Horses, so we discourage it in the grazing fields, but encourage it in our Wilding project.

Bristly oxtongue provides food for many insects, including the larvae of flys, wasps, and caterpillars. Some fly's larvae live on the flowers, while the wasp's larvae tunnel chambers inside the stem. Caterpillars feed within the seedheads, and the Tortrix moth Aethes tesserana larvae feed within the roots.

As its name implies, the leaves are covered with bristles that do prick, and can cause an irritation.

Groundsel is a wildflower that provides nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. It's a valuable food source for pollinators, especially in early spring when other plants may be limited. Groundsel is also a good source of food for caterpillars of moths and butterflies, and many birds and rabbits enjoy eating the leaves and seeds

Dock is an edible plant, used in the past as medicine, and of course, is used to sooth nettle stings.

It is also a superb wildlife plant as dock leaves are an important food plant for many species of moth, including the colourful garden tiger moth, as well as other insects.

Thorny painful leaves, but watch for the beautiful purple flower when it comes. 

Spear Thistle is a plant that produces nectar and pollen that attracts insects, including butterflies, bees, and birds. The plant's purple flower heads attract insects, and its seeds feed birds. Watch out for our family of Goldfinches when the seed head is full as they will be around.

Probably the best known wild-flower. Who hasn't blown the Dandelion clock?

Vivd yellow flower when in bloom, and of course the seed heads with the flight to allow it to be blown in the wind.

Dandelions are central to garden ecosystems, supporting more than fifty different species of insects including bees, moths, flies and wasps.

These beautiful stems and leaves give rise to firey red flowers, and then white fluffy seeds that you can't fail to notice as they blow about on the wind.

Rosebay Willowherb is a valuable food source for many insects, including butterflies, moths, bees, and other pollinators. The leaves of rosebay willowherb are eaten by the caterpillars of many moths, including the elephant hawk-moth and the bedstraw hawk-moth. The plant also provides nectar for these insects.