Nature Conservation Lewisham

Get involved in Lewisham's parks and nature reserves

Category Archives: London Wildlife Trust


by 1 Comment

Bug Day at Sydenham Hill Wood – Thursday 27 July, 11am-2pm

Honey Bee on ragwort (©Daniel Greenwood)

Honey Bee on ragwort (©Daniel Greenwood)

A family-friendly day to celebrate the amazing invertebrates that are so vital to our world

Join the London Wildlife Trust for this family event to celebrate the weird and wonderful insects that are so important to Sydenham Hill Wood and the ecosystems we depend on for survival.

If you love bees, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, bugs and slugs, you will love bug day!

We’ll be leading pond dipping sessions to discover the wild world underneath the surface of the Dewy Pond, searching for beetles and creepy crawlies under logs, and identifying butterflies and bees in the Wood’s sunny glades.

Venue Location

Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox’s Walk,
Southwark,
Greater London,
SE26 6LS

Grid reference
TQ344725


by Leave a comment

Butterfly Walk, Sydenham Hill Woods – Sunday 23 July, 2pm-4pm

Comma butterfly on bindweed

Comma butterfly © Daniel Greenwood

 

A guided butterfly walk in Sydenham Hill Wood

Please note booking is essential for this event

Join the London Wildlife Trust’s Sydenham Hill Wood volunteer Emma Pooley for a guided walk looking at the range of butterflies that can be found in an urban woodland.

Sydenham Hill Wood is a mixture of ancient and secondary woodland with large, sunny glades where butterflies bask, feed and breed in the spring and summer months. We are likely to encounter speckled wood, comma, peacock, red admiral, skippers and whites. This walk is also an opportunity to raise awareness of bees, moths, dragonflies and all the other invertebrates which play such a vital role in the ecosystems we depend on for a healthy environment.

The weather is key in the success of this walk. If there is prolonged rain, thunderstorms or high winds the walk will be postponed to a later date.

Please bring clothing suitable for the conditions (sun hat, sun cream and water if needed) as well as footwear suitable for uneven paths and gentle inclines.

This is a free walk, a minimum donation of £2 towards our work is recommended

If you love Sydenham Hill Wood please help us protect it in the long term by becoming a London Wildlife Trust member


by 1 Comment

Bat, Moth and Owl Prowl, Sydenham Hill Wood, Friday 7 July, 9pm-11pm

2016_04_11 LWT pipistrelle bat ©LWT

Pipistrelle bat © London Wildlife Trust

Guided bat walk in Sydenham Hill Wood

Meet at the Crescent Wood Road entrance.

Join the London Wildlife Trust for a guided walk of Sydenham Hill Wood to discover bats, moths and tawny owls. Using bat detectors, our site warden and volunteers will reveal a hidden, nocturnal world in urban south London.

Sydenham Hill Wood is part ancient woodland, one of the largest remaining fragments of the Great North Wood which once stretched from Deptford to Selhurst. The following species have been recorded at the Wood: soprano pipistrelle, common pipisrelle, nathusius pipistrelle, brown long-eared, natterer’s, Leisler’s, noctule and serotine.

Tawny owls are known to breed in the Wood and the local area and can be heard calling in daylight hours as well as in the deep of night. Males call ‘twoo’ and females ‘ke-wick’.

We will have a moth trap in the main glade to exhibit some of the many beautiful species which can be found in the Wood.

This is a free walk, a minimum donation of £2 towards our work is recommended

If you love Sydenham Hill Wood please help us protect it in the long term by becoming a London Wildlife Trust member.

Venue location

Meet inside the Crescent Wood Road gate,
Sydenham Hill Wood and Cox’s Walk,
Southwark,
Greater London,
SE26 6LS

Grid reference
TQ344725


by Leave a comment

Wildflower Walk Sunday 25 June, 2pm-4pm

Red Campion ©Daniel Greenwood

Red Campion ©Daniel Greenwood

Guided walk looking at the diverse plant communities in this urban secondary/ancient woodland.

Please note booking is essential for this event

Join the Sydenham Hill Wood Conservation Officer and our volunteers for a guided wildflower walk. Please note this is not a foraging event. The Wood is a remnant of the once vast Great North Wood which stretched from Deptford to Selhurst, a wildwood that colonised the landscape after the end of the Ice Age 10,000 years ago.

The Wood has undergone much change and disturbance in the past 150 years meaning that the plant communities have changed and adapted to the conditions enforced upon them by man. Many of the Wood’s most common plants are colonisers of disturbed ground. The now closed Crystal Palace High Level railway allowed for the arrival of spectacular plants like rosebay willowherb, which is a mainstay of the Wood’s main glade in summer.

Attendees require no knowledge prior to the walk but an appreciation of conservation and the pressures on urban wildlife are important to bear in mind. Wildflowers are threatened at the Wood by trampling in sensitive areas, nutrification from dog fouling and the impacts of thoughtless foraging. These are all topics which will be discussed during the walk.

For your own safety please wear clothing suitable for the conditions, including sturdy footwear.

If there is inclement weather the walk will be postponed to a later date.

This is a free walk, donations to London Wildlife Trust are welcome.

Details

Location:  Inside the Crescent Wood Road entrance by the notice board,
Sydenham HIll Wood, London, London, SE15 4EE

Contact: Daniel Greewood -Tel: 0207 252 9186 email – dgreenwood@wildlondon.org.uk


by Leave a comment

Evening Tree Walk at Sydenham Hill Wood, Wednesday 31 May, 7pm-9pm

Sydenham Hill Wood © London Wildlife Trust

Guided tree walk in Sydenham Hill Wood to uncover the ancient landscape of the Great North Wood.

Join our Sydenham Hill Wood Conservation Officer for a guided tree walk as part of London Tree Week. As one of the largest remnants of the Great North Wood, the Wood has a fascinating range of native tree species which indicate the ancient lineage of the habitats.

By identifying the trees and understanding why they are there, a rich natural and cultural history can be uncovered, pointing to a landscape formed after the Ice Age ended some 10,000 years ago and redrawn over the centuries by human industry and settlement.

The trees of Sydenham Hill Wood provide habitat of metropolitan importance to London, with species like the great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, stock dove and tree creeper dependent on the Wood’s populations of sessile oaks to survive.

Need to know

Please wear study footwear fit for uneven paths with gentle inclines, as well as clothing suitable for the conditions.

If there is prolonged heavy rain, thunderstorms or high winds the walk will be postponed to a later date.

This is a free walk, a minimum donation of £2 towards our work is recommended


by 1 Comment

New Cross Gate Cuttings volunteer days with The London Wildlife Trust

Related image

New Cross Gate Cutting © London Wildlife Trust

 

A great way to get involved with the London Wildlife Trust in Lewisham is to become a conservation volunteer to make a real difference for wildlife in your local area, learn new skills and to gain a deeper understanding of woodland ecology. They have monthly conservation workdays at New Cross Gate Cutting on the following dates:

  • Saturday 27th May
  • Saturday 17th June
  • Saturday 22nd July
  • Saturday 19th August
  • Saturday 23rd September

For more information or to book a place on a workday please email Sam Bentley-Toon


by Leave a comment

Walking-lore: Evening family storytelling in Sydenham Hill Woods, Saturday 3 June, 6pm-8pm

London Wildlife Trust Cox's Walk walking lore Imogen Lee

London Wildlife Trust Cox’s Walk walking lore Imogen Lee

Discover the legends and folktales lurking in the woods. This evening storytelling session will take families on a walking-lore of Dulwich and Sydenham Hill Woods, where we will use our senses as our guide.

Together we will trace the tale of the orphaned Lambeth girl, who lived among the trees and used them to stow away a book which she had written in her own secret language. Along the way, discover the ghosts of the Victorians who cut through the Woods, only for the Wood to fight back and become a haven for wildlife.

This event is being run in partnership with the Greater London Authority as part of London Tree Week supported by the Mayor of London.

This event is free, but booking is essential as space is limited. Please follow the link to book your spot:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walking-lore-evening-family-storytelling-…

FAQs
Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?
This afternoon session is aimed at families with younger (5+ years) children. Very young children are welcome but there is a fair bit of walking involved, despite plenty of stops.
Is the site accessible to those with mobility impairments?
Unfortunately much of the site is not accessible by wheelchair, but please do contact us if you are interested, as we can discuss alternative arrangements.

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?
Buses: 197, 185, 176, P13, P4
Forest Hill Station is a 5 minute bus ride/15 minute walk away
Denmark Hill Station is a 15 minute bus ride away
Parking: Crescent Wood Road

Is there toilet access?
There are no facilities available in the reserve. The nearest public loos are at the Horniman Museum, which is 10 minute walk from where we will be meeting.

Who do I contact if I have a question?

email: dgreenwood@wildlondon.org.uk

phone: 020 7252 9186