Support our youth campaign to save ancient woodlands!

Ancient Woodlands UK is a youth-led campaign working to protect ancient woodlands 🔗 https://shorturl.at/70zMt

The recent approval of a tunnel under the River Thames, threatening ancient woodlands and veteran trees, highlight the insufficient protections for our natural heritage in the UK. Ancient woodlands are irreplaceable. They take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to develop. They provide homes for countless species and help mitigate climate change. Nurturing complex relationships and symbiotic evolutions not seen elsewhere on this earth. We only have 2% left.

Without urgent action, we risk losing this natural heritage.

We need your support to fund:

🌱Educational programs about ancient woodlands

🌱Advocacy for stronger legal protections

Join us today and help protect these precious woodlands before it's too late. For more information on how you can support us, get in contact.

Winter to Early Spring

“I love imagining elves gathering round the scarlet elf cup, sipping the dew on the cusp of dawn - a small comfort in the throes of a winter’s day.

Bowls of scarlet and orange lining a dampening, decaying branch, the fungi known as the moss cup, fairies’ baths or scarlet elf cup can be found warming up the cool tones of the winter forest.

Slugs and rodents are keen admirers of this fungi, which at first glance appears similar to ruby elf cup; only differences in microscopic hairs can tell the two apart.

By listening closely when you come across one on the way through the woods, a soft puffing sound might be audible - that’s the fungi releasing its spores into the air.

In European folklore they were said to be the cups from which elves drank dew in the mornings, and Oneida Native Americans used this fungi as medicine to stop bleeding.

In the past, arrangements were made with the scarlet elf cup alongside moss to be sold as decorations.

Found on fallen twigs and branches (usually Hazel, Elm and Willow) in damp areas.”

This incredible piece of art by Medha showcases one of the many ways ancient woodlands inspire us.

What is a ghost woodland? 👻

PC: Future Woodlands Scotland

Ghost woodlands are relicts of ancient woodlands where less than 20% of the canopy cover remains. Although these woods appear to be dying, they have a high ecological and conservation value. These areas are some of our most threatened ancient woodlands - degraded by centuries of overbrowsing. Without restoration and intervention, these woodlands could soon be lost forever as the few remaining older trees die and leave a bare habitat.

PC: Future Woodlands Scotland

Future Woodlands Scotland is a charity that works with landowners, farmers, and crofters to restore these woodlands. They provide advice, support, and funding to naturally regenerate woodlands by reducing browsing pressure. They've recently launched an interactive mapping tool to help locate ghost woodlands — check it out on their website at https://futurewoodlands.org.uk/a-new-tool-to-identify-ghost-woodlands/.