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Ever wondered about the flora and fauna that call Buckenham Wood home?
Now’s your chance to explore Buckenham Wood with Robert Morgan—wildlife conservationist and BAWT Trustee. He’ll share the latest updates on what’s been what has been happening in the wood recently and reveal some seasonal delights that make this wood truly special.
From oaks to owls, bluebells to beetles — join Bob as he delves into the fascinating lives of the plants and animals that can be found in Buckenham Wood and discover what makes our local woodland so special.
Norfolk’s County Wildlife Sites are linking people and nature - Sept 2026
Norfolk’s County Wildlife Sites are linking people and nature - Sept 2026
The following is an extended version of article by Robert Morgan published in the Easten Daily Press - 19th September 2026. It has been reproduced here with permission.
Robert highlights the importance of County Wildlife Sites — including Buckenham Wood — and explains how collaborative partnerships with key organisations, such as Norfolk Wildlife Trust, play a vital role in supporting the woodland.
'Size isn’t everything when it comes to protecting precious habitats'
Robert Morgan, Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Conservation Officer and BAWT Trustee.
Although Norfolk is predominantly an agricultural county, it is blessed with a rich mix of significant and rare habitats, including nationally important saltmarshes, grasslands, fens and heathlands. Some of the UK’s first and finest nature reserves are found here. Sites such as Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Hickling Broad and Cley Marshes are famous, not only for their wildlife, but their historical significance in the story of international nature conservation.
Alongside NWT; the National Trust, RSPB and Natural England all have an important presence in Norfolk through their nature reserves. These sites support a wide range of species, some of which are critically endangered, and as a result attract visitors from across the British Isles. But, for me, just as vital are Norfolk’s County Wildlife Sites (CWS).
Much smaller, and without the same reputation, these modest green spaces form important stepping stones for wildlife and help create a more connected countryside. Whether a modest wetland marsh, a wildflower meadow or a stand of ancient woodland, all are equally worthy of consideration and celebration. County Wildlife Sites (CWS) are areas of land deemed locally important because of the richness of their wildlife. They sit outside nationally protected areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves. However, with 1,300 CWS in Norfolk, they are proving important in the battle to stem the continuing decline of our wildlife.
I met NWT’s Lydia Kittle at one such site, Buckenham Wood, near the village of Strumpshaw. Lydia is a County Wildlife Site Advisor and explained how they work, ‘The CWS system in Norfolk is managed collaboratively by the CWS Partnership with Norfolk Wildlife Trust acting as the lead partner. The Partnership includes a variety of key organisations such as Norfolk Biological Information Service, Norfolk County Council, Natural England and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, plus local district councils and others, such as the Broads Authority’. Although gaining County Wildlife Site status certainly isn’t easy.
Lydia continued: ‘The CWS Partnership meet to ratify and approve any new sites for CWS designation on a yearly basis. This process involves evaluating each new site against the CWS criteria; with each habitat having their own set of criterions. These measures, as well as the Partnership, help to ensure that each designation is consistent, objective and based on clear evidence of ecological importance’.
"This process involves evaluating each new site against the CWS criteria; with each habitat having their own set of criterions. These measures, as well as the Partnership, help to ensure that each designation is consistent, objective and based on clear evidence of ecological importance."
Lydia Kittle, County Wildlife Site Advisor.
Buckenham Wood is an example of different landowners working together under the CWS system to manage a ‘green asset’ for both wildlife and local people’s recreation. The wood stands near the highest point in the Norfolk Broads, and the southern edge of the woodland affords a view across the River Yare floodplain and RSPB’s Buckenham Marshes. Carved and moulded by a vast Ice Age glacier, the hill on which the woodland sits is composed of sand and shingle. This important commodity meant the area was excavated, by hand, for centuries. Gullies and pits still scar the woodland, with the largest central pit used in the 1980s for landfill. Over time, some of the older gullies have become re-wooded, and they are now important features for woodland wildlife. Despite the site’s mistreatment across a chequered recent past, it has many ancient woodland features.
Several impressive ‘lapsed coppice’ hornbeams, magnificent beds of bluebells and a small-leaved lime tree are some of the indicators of its antiquity. To be classified as ancient woodland, an area must have had continuous tree cover since 1600, although historical and landscape evidence suggests that trees have stood on this hill since deep in the mists of time.
The eastern end of the wood has been owned by Strumpshaw Parish Council since 2000, with much of the woodland management carried out by Blofield and District Conservation Group (BADCOG). The western end is privately owned, although it has been carefully managed with wildlife conservation in mind. The central section, formerly part of a larger shooting estate, came up for sale in 2023. It was initially offered to Strumpshaw Parish Council, but the council did not have the funds or resources to purchase this portion of the wood. A group of like-minded local people formed a charity, Buckenham Ancient Woodland Trust (BAWT), and with support from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund and Broadland District Council’s (BDC) S106 Green Infrastructure Fund, raised enough money to secure its purchase. This section of the woodland holds impressive beds of native bluebells, although these were under threat from bramble encroachment, non-native invasive species and canopy closure from the ubiquitous sycamores. Public use had also increased, so access management was required to ensure the continuing health of the woodland and its wildlife. Of particular concern were the bluebell beds, which were deteriorating due to the widening of existing paths and the formation of new ones.
Further funding secured from Greater Norwich Growth Board through the Infrastructure Investment Fund and, with support from BDC, enabled work to be carried out on the woodland canopy and veteran trees. Natural features were created in the trees for roosting bats, nesting birds and a whole cast of specialist woodland invertebrates. The permissive path was improved, with support from BDC’s Future for Nature Fund, and wildlife protection fencing and gates were installed. Four interpretation boards now provide information on the history, wildlife and management of the woodland. Councillor Daniel Elmer, Chair of the Greater Norwich Growth Board and Leader of South Norfolk Council said: “Buckenham Wood is a vital community asset, highly valued by local residents for the opportunities it offers to enjoy nature at its best. This important project will ensure the woodland’s long-term future and accessibility for people living in the local villages and the surrounding area.”
"Buckenham Wood is a vital community asset, highly valued by local residents for the opportunities it offers to enjoy nature at its best."
Councillor Daniel Elmer, Chair of the Greater Norwich Growth Board and Leader of South Norfolk Council.
Of course, there is always work to be done, and the BAWT volunteer group has been working hard to improve the wood through traditional stewardship, including the return of rotational coppicing. The ambition is to continue increasing the biodiversity of the wood through the creation of flora-rich glades and areas of thorny scrub for nesting birds. Dr Hazel Stuart, Chair of Buckenham Ancient Woodland Trust, is delighted with the progress, ‘I’m pleased that wildlife conservation has been combined with ensuring the wood is accessible and welcoming for all. Protecting this precious ancient bluebell wood for future generations, has been a wonderful achievement for everyone involved’
A shared strategy for the long-term management of the woodland is the eventual aim for the Parish Council and BAWT, ensuring the woodland can be enjoyed by the local community through appreciation, engagement and participation. Buckenham Wood is a fantastic example of how, under the CWS umbrella, collaborative working between different landowners, administrative bodies and conservation organisations can succeed. Across Norfolk, many other County Wildlife Sites have brought people together to improve and protect green spaces at a local level.
Lydia Kittle, who has provided advice and funding from Norfolk Wildlife Trust for essential equipment, concluded, 'although CWS may not be statutorily designated, they can be given some protection through planning guidance. Each is vital within the wider landscape, and NWT views them as important for both wildlife and the many people who value the natural world.’
The true judge of the success of County Wildlife Sites is, of course, the wildlife. This summer saw the return of silver-washed fritillary and purple emperor butterflies to Buckenham Wood. Both species had been absent for decades, and their return is high praise indeed for the work of many dedicated volunteers.
Sounds and sights of Summer at Buckenham Ancient Woodland - June 2026
Sounds and sights of Summer at Buckenham Ancient Woodland - June 2026
As June fades, and the season moves into July, the ‘songs’ of grasshoppers and crickets take over from our birds, filling the long grass with their cheerful, if repetitive, chorus. Ox-eye daisies stand tall and dense where they have been allowed to flourish, while areas of disturbed soil are brightened by vivid splashes of blood-red poppies. Tufted vetch weaves its delicate stems through the undergrowth, cross-stitching the vegetation with subtle purple blooms. Shorter, rabbit-grazed turf, is enlivened by the charming “eggs and bacon” flowers of bird’s-foot trefoil.
In Buckenham Ancient Woodland, the spring violet of bluebells is replaced by the pink and white of tall stands of foxgloves. The woodland ‘sandpit’ is proving a particularly favoured spot for the flower. With the woodland canopy opened up, and we begin to create more diverse habitats, foxgloves are often among the first species to respond, standing smartly along the edges of newly formed sun-dappled glades and rides.
Summer finds our veteran oak trees alive with families of blue tits and great tits, busily feeding on plump green caterpillars. Like sailors hauling a lead line, blue tits can often be seen pulling up dangling caterpillars by their silk threads. At least three of the newly created ‘nest boxes’ - which were carved into many of the ring-barked sycamores - have been successfully used by blue tits.
"At least three of the newly created ‘nest boxes’ - which were carved into many of the ring-barked sycamores - have been successfully used by blue tits."
A common question from visitors to the woods is ‘why some trees have had a ring of bark removed at their base’? This is because, these are non-native sycamores and although they have been present in British woodlands for several centuries, they can become dominant and invasive. They also come into leaf earlier than many native species, casting shade over the woodland floor at a critical time when bluebells and other ground flora are developing. This bark stripping or ‘ringbarking’ kills the tree above the ring and creates standing deadwood, which plays an important part in providing significant benefits for biodiversity, particularly for fungi and invertebrates. Some other, carefully selected trees, have been ‘veteranised’ with cavities and crevices that will encourage roosting and nesting bats.
"...‘ringbarking’ kills the tree above the ring and creates standing deadwood, which plays an important part in providing significant benefits for biodiversity, particularly for fungi and invertebrates."
All four entrances to the BAWT section of the woodland have now been fitted with kissing gates. While visitors are warmly welcomed, this serves as a reminder that the area is managed for nature recovery. We kindly ask all visitors to respect one another and to recognise that this part of the woodland is intended for quiet enjoyment. Our ambition is to enhance the quality of the woodland for wildlife, and we therefore ask that visitors remain on designated footpaths and keep dogs on leads at all times. Four interpretation boards have also been installed to provide visitors with information about the woodland’s history and its remarkable flora and fauna.
The woodland is particularly rich in butterflies during late summer, with over a dozen species commonly recorded, including painted lady, speckled wood, and ringlet. Through our ongoing management, we hope that species such as the purple emperor and silver-washed fritillary - both of which have recently returned to Norfolk - may one day establish themselves here.
Breeding bird surveys are currently underway. However, the lack of understory and the dominance of sycamore can have a negative impact on breeding bird numbers. Despite this, the woodland supports notable species such as great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, and treecreeper. In summer, blackcap and chiffchaff breed here, and for a few days in mid-May this year, a cuckoo was heard calling within the woodland.
Warblers, like chiff chaff, typically nest close to the ground, making them vulnerable to disturbance from both people and dogs. The fenced sanctuary area will help protect these species and will also deter muntjac deer, allowing a richer and more diverse understorey to develop and enable native saplings to establish and thrive. Who knows! One day we may hear a nightingale - hidden in the undergrowth of one of the pits - singing its sweet, melancholic song.
"Who knows! One day we may hear a nightingale - hidden in the undergrowth of one of the pits - singing its sweet, melancholic song. "
In winter the woodland provides habitat for goldcrest and woodcock. While woodcock do not currently breed here, a few individuals use the woodland during the colder months. We hope to encourage greater use of the wood by this species; however, as a ground-feeding bird, it is essential that visitors continue to stay on paths and observe the dogs-on-leads policy throughout the year.
Autumn leaves us wistful - October 2025
Autumn leaves us wistful - October 2025
Autumn is a season we associate with many things in relation to nature, it could be bird migration, fruitfulness, a dying back for winter, and of course blustery weather. For me it is the season of fungi, with rotting vegetation and warm moist air prompting all manner of weird spore-laden fruiting bodies to suddenly appear. Even those with only a passing knowledge of natural history, know that they can come in all kinds of peculiar shapes and colours. Buckenham Woods, retaining much of its ancient woodland character, is particularly good for fungi species. A survey carried out in January of this year recorded ninety-five different fungi in that one month alone. Over two hundred species have been recorded in total.🍂🍄🍄🟫📈
Update on Buckenham Wood Management works
Anyone visiting the woods over the last few weeks will see that our expert arborists have been hard at work, carrying out tree safety work and our planned woodland management. This can look quite drastic at first glance, but the proven long-term benefits to the wood, and its wildlife, are considerable. This has involved the removal of some trees to ground level, pollarding of others, or the ring barking of some to create standing ‘deadwood’. This work has predominately been carried out on the sycamores. The sycamore tree, although having been in the UK for many centuries, is not native. It can grow rapidly on all soil types, has few pathogens and pests to arrest its dominance, and comes into leaf quite early in the spring. Most UK woodlands, left unmanaged, will become overrun by this invasive species. They shade out not only the ground flora, particularly the spring flowers, like our beloved bluebells, ransom and wood anemone, but other trees too. Our recent volunteer days have been invasive species focussed, and the pulling of sycamore saplings across the bluebell beds has been one of our main tasks to date.
The lying, and standing deadwood, will provide homes and food for current woodland species, and will encourage new creatures to colonise. This will increase biodiversity, particularly insects, and in turn bird life. Breeding bird, bat, fungi and butterfly surveys have taken place, and it is intended to carry out other surveys such as moth counts (moth diversity is a fantastic measure of an eco-systems health). This work will track improvements over the years and inform any future woodland management work. As the wood rots, it is food for fungi and countless numbers and varieties of invertebrates. 🐦🪺Bird nesting and 🦇bat roost cavities are being carved into some of the managed trees. Discreet metal nest-hole plates are fixed to many, and these will help prevent predation of eggs and young chicks by grey squirrels.
Much of the ‘cord’ wood will be left to rot in situ, or employed to line the paths, this we hope, will remind visitors to keep to the marked tracks, plus it should stop the paths becoming too wide and encroaching onto the bluebell carpets. Some of the brushwood will be chipped and laid on the paths, whilst some will be deployed as barriers around saplings, and act, along with the tree guards as a deterrent against muntjac browsing. Any brushwood left where cut will quickly rot down, and these clumps are great for wildlife - nature loves ‘untidy’. It also beneficial to lay brushwood in areas where bluebell recovery is needed, as it stops trampling by feet and helps prevent grazing by muntjac (they have a taste for bluebell bulbs). Although you may not see the carpet of blue beneath the brushwood, the plants are doing fine and prospers by spending time maturing under a tangle of branches.
Any woods-person knows the old country saying, ‘hawthorn is the mother of oak’. And the planting of native ‘thorns’ such as hawthorn, buckthorn and blackthorn will help protect the hazel, field maple and hornbeam saplings, as well as the oaks. Thick clumps of ‘thorns’ are of course ideal for nesting birds. Chestnut fencing encircling the heart of the woodland will also discourage muntjac and provide an undisturbed area for breeding birds and wintering woodcock. The wood for the fencing is locally sourced and will darken with age. It will very quickly blend into its surroundings when brambles and honey-suckle grows through and around it. Increasing the understorey of a woodland is vital for its long-term health and survival. Formerly the British Isles ‘wild’ forests, would have had 🐈lynx and 🐺wolves to keep 🦌deer browsing and grazing in check, and long-lost eco-engineers such as 🦫beavers, Auroch and 🐗boars would have created diverse habitats. Many British woodlands maintained much of their current fauna and flora diversity by the happy accident of long-term human woodland activities.
🪓The selective felling of timber, pollarding and coppicing replicates natural processes, and ancient woods thrive when this is regularly carried out. The decline of the old woodland traditions has been to the detriment of many UK woods, and it is something we are restoring to Buckenham Ancient Woodland.
Autumn is natures reset button, with winter being a period of recovery for some and a battle for survival for others. However, our wildlife is finding it increasingly difficult to survive or recover. Demands for land and resources, continuing pollution and climate change are all having a dramatic effect on our natural world. However, just as the seasons change so can we, more people are coming together to protect and improve our environment so future generations can feel nature’s generous embrace. The Buckenham Ancient Woodland Trust, thanks all our visitors for their patience during this autumn and winter work programme, and our members and volunteers for their continuing support.
If you would like to find out more about the management of Buckenham Wood click here.
Seeing the wood for the trees - August 2025
Seeing the wood for the trees - August 2025
An already busy year for the Buckenham Ancient Woodland Trust is about to get even busier. The recent employment of a consultant conservation arboriculturalist has seen the progression of a management plan and long-term strategy for the woodland. The Trust held two public consultation events, one at Lingwood’s Community Hall, the other at Strumpshaw. A ‘woodland user’ survey is also being carried out online and in person. Trustees and Wood Warden Volunteers will be at the wood in the coming weeks to seek views and explain proposed plans for the wood’s future management. Some essential work has already been carried out, and the felling of a few trees at risk of falling was undertaken near the footpaths. Any major work will not commence until the end of the bird-nesting season.
Update on the Buckenham Wood management plan:
Away from the unenviable task of Trust administration, the wildlife and serenity of the woodland continues to delight all who visit Buckenham Wood. The woodland’s old-age and heritage means it is exceptionally important for wildlife, because of this it has been recognised as a County Wildlife Site. Thoughtful management has the potential of greatly increasing its significance and importance as a sanctuary for nature, and this will be at the forefront of our plans.
Many people know the wood for its fantastic carpet of 🪻bluebells, but this uniquely British woodland landscape is sadly in decline. This year the very hot dry spring saw the bluebells suffer, and most regulars to the wood felt that they were less vibrant. This may become an accumulative long-term problem for all ancient bluebell woods in Britain. At Buckenham Wood the increasing number of visitors meant that, unfortunately, the bluebells were trod down in places, paths have widened and compacted, and new ‘desire line’ paths have emerged across the bluebell carpet. Our proposed management plan will be addressing these issues by enhancing the main paths. The non-native muntjac deer can also have a detrimental effect on bluebells, and other ancient woodland flora, so enclosure of some areas may be necessary. A priority will be the removal of non-native invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed, bamboo and variegated yellow archangel which has already been removed from the area near our sign by volunteers. In response to our request for feedback we received some comments about the significant number of grey squirrels in the wood. There will be discreet and humane localised control of the ubiquitous grey squirrels if colonies expand to create a risk to the whole woodland. This will reduce bark stripping damage to trees and protect nesting birds and roosting bats from squirrel predation.
Scheduled and completed surveys contribute to the management plan:
🐦 Breeding bird and 🦋butterfly surveys are being carried out, and bat surveys will also follow. An impressive list of 🍄fungi has already been recorded, and a number of significant ancient woodland plants have been identified. These include ransom, dog’s mercury and wood anemone, and we have a lone small-leaved lime tree too. The lime is important for lime hawkmoth, vapourer and peppered moth. The variety of moth species can be an excellent indicator of an ancient woodlands health. On-going survey work of the wood’s wildlife will help inform our management and long-term strategy, and act as a benchmark for our progress.
The Trust’s consultant has mapped and recorded the state of all our🌳 veteran trees, included our wonderful lapsed coppiced hornbeam and hazel. A comprehensive plan for their care will be prepared, and will see the removal of a great deal of the invasive sycamores. It is vital the wood isn’t too tidy, as an important feature of an ancient woodland is the standing and fallen dead wood. It is great for fungus growth, and the rotting wood forms a ‘pantry’ of invertebrates; an essential food source for birds and mammals.
Seasonal highlights:
🦋July and August are the best months for dragonflies and butterflies, with the nationally scarce Norfolk hawker dragonfly having been spotted in the wood in June. Speckled wood, large skipper, gatekeeper and comma butterflies are present, an occasional white admiral is seen too, and the silver-washed fritillary is also a possibility. Careful and considered management may find the monarch of ancient woodlands, the emperor butterfly, grace humble Buckenham!
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