Pensthorpe holds a diverse range of habitats and trees play an important part in all of them. Whether it’s an Oak in the woodlands, Willow in the reedbeds, or Hawthorn along the hedgerows, each provides safe spaces and food for wildlife. For birds, insects, mammals, lichens, fungi & humans, trees are vital! Around 50ha (123… Read more »

July seems to have whizzed by, with heatwaves & heavy rain all added in. A big focus during the summer months is controlling invasive & dominant plants & our amazing volunteer team, with help from two Corporate Teams, have been hard at work with removal. Himalayan Balsam and Monkey Flower are two invasive species, originally… Read more »

This month we have had scorching sunshine to heavy thunderstorms, more the first than the latter. In this hot weather the insect population is thriving, especially for Aphids and Flies. Swallows are nesting and feeding their chicks on all these flying invertebrates, look in the hides to see their nests, but please be careful not… Read more »

If you go down to the Wildflower Meadow you should see the work of the Reserve volunteers and staff. Over the last few weeks, the team has worked hard replacing two long sections of boardwalk, including supporting timbers and tread boards. The boardwalk is a definite place to visit and the perfect platform to observe… Read more »

From historic use as livestock barriers, to becoming wildlife corridors, hedgerows are important features in the farmed landscape, including here at Pensthorpe, where over three miles of hedgerows criss-cross the site. In the one thousand plus years that hedgerows have been a part of the British countryside, wildlife has utilised them and they have become… Read more »