Broadleaved trees like beech and oak lose their leaves for the winter. This is a good time of year to see the shapes and forms of the trees. Even without leaves it’s possible to identify trees just from their bark, twigs, buds and general shape. The animals in the wood have different ways of coping through the winter months. Some, like bats, dormice and hedgehogs go into hibernation, while others, like squirrels, use stores of nuts they’ve collected through the autumn. Birds often struggle to find enough food. Winter is also a good time to look at the lumps and bumps from past activities such as quarrying, sawpits and boundary banks, as the vegetation has died down.
explore the woods
Our interactive picture below allows you to explore the wildlife living in the winter woods. Click on any of the
magnifying glass symbols to find out more information.
