Your wild autumn
Candelabra coral (Artomyces pyxidatus)
Delicate as lace and shaped like the antlers of a miniature stag, the candelabra coral fungus is a rare jewel of the forest floor. Thought extinct in the UK for over a century, we're slowly seeing more of this ghost of the woods in Kent's wild places.
How to identify
Keep your eyes peeled for pale, coral-like clusters rising from rotting logs. The fungus ranges from creamy to yellow or white to pale pink and browns with age. Its elegant branches end in crown-shaped tips, like nature's own candelabras. Reaching from 2 to 10 cm tall, it thrives in damp, shady woodland.
Where to see
Candelabra coral favours mossy, decaying hardwood, especially oak and beech, but can sometimes grow in softwood too. Long thought lost to the UK. it reappeared in Suffolk in 2012 after more than a century without a single record. Since then, it's been found at Hothfield Heath lands (2021), a shaded glade in Ashford (2023), and most recently on the wooded fringe of our South Blean reserve last year. Will we be lucky enough to welcome them back to our woodlands this year?
Please avoid foraging on our reserves
Foraging mushrooms can have a disastrous impact on some of our fungi populations and the species that rely on them. Do take loads of pictures, but please leave all fungi for others to enjoy.
Spotted one on a reserve this autumn?
Let us know! Email us at comms@kentwildlife.org.uk or tag us on social media @KentWildlife
Updates from our reserves
Woodlands are some of our most precious habitats for wildlife. Here in Kent, we're proud that almost 4,000 acres of our nature reserves are woodland. These living landscapes are rich with life, from birdsong to the rustle of dormice. But across the UK, woodland only covers 13% of land, far less than the European average of 38%, or the global average of 31 %. Clearly, much more needs to be done to protect, restore and create woodlands in the UK - and at Kent Wildlife Trust, we're taking action.
1. South Blean
For many years, large areas of this woodland were managed commercially as conifer plantations. Dense blocks of conifer held very little wildlife. We regularly thin out these blocks, removing a third of the "crop" at a time to allow the space to regenerate with native broadleaved species like oak, beech and hazel.
2. Spong Wood
This winter in Spong Wood, we'll be coppicing hazel, field maple and hornbeam. By cutting these trees down to the ground, we will be encouraging them to regrow, developing dense scrubby growth full of nuts and seeds and the perfect habitat for nesting dormice.
3. Spuckles Wood
Ray Lewis
This woodland is a testament to woodland resilience. In 2022, we carried out vital work to tackle ash dieback and keep visitors safe. Today, the woodland is thriving again, with natural regeneration creating sunny rides and a mix of trees of all ages. It's a living example of how careful management can help woodlands bounce back.
4. Parsonage Wood
Tucked into the Wealden landscape, Parsonage Wood is a lovely example of a ghyll woodland. Here, steep channels - known as ghylls - are carved by streams into the sandy and clay beds. creating a shaded and humid environment. These conditions are perfect for a range of uncommon ferns, mosses and liverworts.
5. Stone Wood
We are striving to attract nightingales and turtle doves to this woodland - two bird species that love water, and scrubby areas to nest. By creating areas of standing water by blocking ditches, we're mimicking the work of beavers, who naturally shape habitats to benefit a wide range of wildlife. This winter, we'll be expanding our leaky dams and blocking leaks where it's needed - our own bit of "beaver duty"!
Visitors' notice
Please come and admire the abundance of autumn fruit and fungi on our reserves and share your sightings with us. Nature's foragers will be out in force, from the humble fungus gnat to badgers and birds, all taking advantage of this time of abundance. To help wildlife and to ensure other visitors can see and enjoy these sight s. there is no foraging permitted on our reserves. By letting nature take its course. we give all visitors and all creatures - a chance to enjoy it.
Six species to spot in woodlands this autumn
As the days shorten and leaves turn golden, Kent's woodlands come alive with seasonal activity. Autumn is the time of quiet transformation, when fungi flourish, animals prepare for winter and fruits and nuts offer a final feast before the frost.
As you're crunching through the lead-littered paths of our reserves, this is the perfect time to discover the hidden lives of woodland wildlife. From secretive bats and tree-dwelling bugs to showy fungi and hard-to-spot birds, here are six fascinating species to look out for during your next autumn woodland walk.
© Tom Marshall
1. Noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula)
Our largest bat, the noctule, roosts in trees and can be seen flying over the canopy in search of prey at dawn and dusk. It’s known for its powerful flight, often reaching speeds of 30 miles per hour. Although most bat calls require a bat detector to be heard by us, noctule calls can be heard by some adults and children.
Spot them at: Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve
© Vaughn Matthews
2. Turkeytail (Trametes versicolor)
The turkeytail fungus grows all year but is at its best in autumn. It grows around tree trunks in clear, velvety concentric rings of brown, yellow, purple, green and black. Did you know that the turkeytail was once a popular table decoration and, at one time, was even used to decorate hats?
Spot them at: Any of our woodland reserves. Hunstead Wood or Quarry Wood are particularly good sites this season.
© Phillip Precey
3. Parent bug (Elasmucha grisea)
The parent bug lives up to its name. The females lay their eggs on a silver birch leaf and will watch over them until they hatch. Unlike other shieldbugs that lay their eggs and leave, parent bug mothers will stay with their young until they are adults. This protective behaviour helps to prevent attacks by parasitic wasps.
Spot them at: Hothfield Heathlands or Ashford Warren
© Pete Richman
4. Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
This powerful bird of prey was persecuted to extinction in the UK in the late 19th century, but escaped and deliberately released falconry birds helped launch a population recovery in the late 1960s. The goshawk is similar to the sparrowhawk, but much larger. Although we consider goshawks to be birds of the forest, in other parts of Europe they can be found in urban settings, perching on streetlights and catching feral pigeons.
Spot them at: Many of our woodland sites in the Weald of Kent.
© Stefan Johansson
5. Lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor)
The lesser spotted woodpecker is the smallest and least common of the UK’s three species of woodpecker. It is most often found in the tops of trees where it creeps along branches in search of insects. Its ‘drumming’ is much quieter and less vigorous than that of the great spotted woodpecker. There are now believed to be fewer than 1,000 pairs breeding annually in the UK.
Spot them at: West Blean and Thornden Woods
© Margaret Holland
6. Nuts and berries
As summer turns to autumn, fruits ripen in our woodlands, providing a valuable food source for many species. Probably the most familiar of our autumn fruits is the blackberry, but you can also find elderberries, rowan berries and rosehips. Sweet chestnuts are found in many Kent woodlands, with nuts emerging from their spiky husks around October. Acorns and hazelnuts are favourites of the squirrels as they stock up for winter.
Spot them at: Cromers Wood and Brenchley Wood
Have you spotted any of these woodland wonders?
We love to see what you spot on your visits to our reserves.
Please tag us in your best photos on social media! @KentWildlife
