Warwick Area
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust works in
partnership with Warwick District Council (WDC) to manage Local
Nature Reserves in the area (Crackley Wood, Kenilworth
Common, Parliament Piece, Knowle Hill,
Welches
Meadow, Leam Valley, Whitnash
Brook, Hunningham Meadow and Oakwood and Blacklow
Spinneys). The Trust also manages Eathorpe Marsh on behalf of Severn Trent
and Glasshouse Spinney on behalf of
Kenilworth Rugby Club.
View Warwick Reserves Map in a
©Google map
Top Things to See and Do…
Visit Crackley Wood for the
Fantastic Bluebell Display in May
An ancient semi-natural woodland just north
of Kenilworth, once part of the Forest of Arden. The wood is
managed traditionally as high forest with a coppice understorey,
providing tall trees of oak, birch and sweet chestnut with a lower
shrub layer of hazel and holly. Go for a stroll on your own or
attend the guided walk with the volunteer warden (see events guide
for details)
Volunteer with one of the weekend
work parties
Learn new skills and meet new people by
carrying out practical habitat management works on one of the
nature reserves. The volunteer wardens for Kenilworth Common,
Glasshouse Spinney and Crackley Wood all run regular volunteer work
parties (see events guide for details) or see the Workparties page. They
are very welcoming to new volunteers and you can volunteer as
little or often as you like.
Garden with Wildlife in
Mind
The Trust runs a county wide wildlife
garden award scheme, but if you live in a rural part of Warwick
District (or Rugby Borough) you can also benefit from the Gardens Go Wild Project.
Visit the Sustainability Centre in
Jephson Gardens, Leamington
Thanks to funding from WDC and assistance
from local businesses and volunteers, Action 21 and their partners
have transformed the East Lodge building into an exciting new
centre for sustainability at the heart of Leamington Spa. An
exciting and publicly accessible hub for all the environmental
projects currently happening in Leamington, the Sustainability Centre
includes visitor information rooms with details about local
initiatives based on re-use, transport, food and energy, a
hot-desking room providing shared space for local environmental
charities and sustainability groups, and a garden showcasing
different ways to 'grow your own' on permaculture principles.
Go Bird Watching at Leam
Valley
Woodland, grassland, marsh, ponds and the
River Leam itself make up Leam Valley Local Nature Reserve which
is situated on the outskirts of Leamington adjacent to Newbold
Comyn Park. This area has an agricultural past with more recent
woodland planting, pond and wetland creation. There is a bird hide
and viewing screen overlooking the wetland area where you can look
for a number of different birds.
Look out for Glow Worms and
Reptiles at Kenilworth Common in June/July
Kenilworth Common is a registered
common, the last fragment of a much larger area of open land that
existed some hundreds of years ago. Once an area of
heathland, the Common has developed into an area of oak and birch
woodland. However, remnants of the old heathland character remain,
particularly on and close to the railway embankments and it's in
these areas where you may be lucky enough to see the amazing site
of female glowworms glowing to attract males in the summer
evenings. The common is also one of the best site for reptiles in
the county and you may be lucky enough to see them basking in the
morning sunshine.
