Orchard
A visit to a traditional orchard reveals gnarled old trunks of fruit and nut trees bursting with blossoms and young leaves in springtime, with wildflowers and insects populating summer’s long…
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Spring in the Orchard
We explore traditional orchards in springtime in our series of regular blogs celebrating Herefordshire’s orchards, produced in partnership with our Corporate Members Westons Cider.
Orchards
Orchards can be fantastic habitats for wildlife.
Orchards & Mistletoe
Head to a traditional orchard over winter to spot mistletoe - and the wildlife that feeds on it.
Where to see orchards in blossom
Though many traditional orchards have been lost from our landscape, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust still manages several orchard nature reserves. As well as looking absolutely beautiful when the trees are covered in blossom in April, traditional orchards are also fantastic for wildlife.
Hedgerow and Orchard planting at Davies Meadows, Weobley Wildlife Meadows and the Sturts
Tree planting season has now drawn to a close at our Davies Meadows, Weobley Wildlife Meadows and Sturts North reserves, where earlier in March our volunteers have been busy planting, armed with…
Pochard
The once-common pochard is now under threat because its populations are declining rapidly. The UK is an important winter destination for the pochard, with 48,000 birds visiting our wetlands and…
Heritage orchards purchase opportunity at Saycells Farm, Kempley, Gloucestershire
A private estate on the Herefordshire/Gloucestershire border has come up for sale comprising mature, traditional standard orchards, a rare parcel of flower-rich old grassland, and further pasture…
My routine
Martin volunteers with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust’s Orchard Origins every Friday come rain or shine. His commitment has contributed to conserving many of Herefordshire’s traditional orchards.…
Bee orchid
The bee orchid is a sneaky mimic - the flower’s velvety lip looks like a female bee. Males fly in to try to mate with it and end up pollinating the flower. Sadly, the right bee species doesn’t…
Frog orchid
This unassuming orchid is easily overlooked. It is found patchily across the UK, but has been declining for decades.
Pyramidal orchid
The pyramidal orchid lives up to its name - look for a bright pinky-purple, densely packed pyramid of flowers atop a green stem. It likes chalk grassland, sand dunes, roadside verges and quarries…