At Greave Primary we are blessed with beautiful surroundings and a large amount of outdoor space; including ‘The Forest in the Dip’. Part of Forest School at Greave Primary is immersing children in the natural world and in order to support them it is important that adults are skilled at identification – for the following reasons.
Educate: Forest School leaders need to know about the different flora and fauna in order to be knowledgeable and pass on information / facilitate learning more about the forest for the learners.
Managing the site:
In order to manage the site, and know what to cut down and or protect the
forest school leader must be knowledgeable about the flora and fauna there.
Understand the
setting of the Forest School: it is important to know what is on the site
so it can be included in the risk assessment and learners know the boundaries
of the site – in order to keep them safe. It is also important so that leaders
know which wood is best for lighting a fire and which plants and fungi are
poisonous.
Being aware of and considerate of others’ habitats and
breeding seasons in order to ensure we are supporting the protection of the
environment and not damaging it. This information can be shared with learners
to ensure that they understand the importance of looking after our natural
environment.
Knowledge of flora and fauna is crucial in passing on the
message of the natural world to learners of all ages and invoking their
curiosity to find out more. If the Forest School Leader doesn’t deem this
knowledge important, then the learners will follow suit. Therefore it is
crucial that correct identification is a part of the Forest School Leader’s
toolkit.
Trees
Scots Pine
Native to the UK: Yes
Age: up to 700 years.
Height: Max 35m high.
Leaves: are needle-like blue-green and slightly
twisted, and grow in pairs on short side shoots.
Bark:
Thick very rough and bumpy
Fruit
/ seeds: cones
Evergreen/deciduous: E
Uses: timber, telegraph poles, fencing,
|
Beech
Native to UK: Yes
Age: up to 1000 years
Height: 50 metres
Leaves: smooth with wavy edge Sharp pointed buds.
Bark: smooth and grey
Fruit / seeds: Catkins and flowers in spring. Beech nuts
are triangular with a spiky casing.
Evergreen/deciduous: D
Uses: furniture, cooking utensils, tool handles, smoke herring.
|
Spruce
Native to UK:
Age: up to 1000 years
Height: Can grow to approx. 50m in natural habitat.
Leaves: Looks like a Christmas tree! Needles for
leaves.
Bark: Thick bumpy bark.
Fruit / seeds: Longer cones.
Evergreen/deciduous: E
Uses: timber
|
Ash
Native to UK: Yes
Age: up to 400 years
Height: 35 metres
Leaves: Smooth twigs with opposite black buds in
winter.
Leaflets
are opposite each other (6-12 pairs) plus one at the top.
Bark: Pale brown/ greyish bark
Fruit / seeds: Purple flowers in spring. Clumps of ash keys
= fruit.
Evergreen/deciduous:
Likes
fertile, deep well-drained soil.
Uses: very hard timber: handles for spades and oars. Also firewood
and charcoal.
|
Elder
Native to UK: yes
Age: up to 60 years
Height: 15 metres
Leaves: 5-7 pairs of leaflets with sparsely serrated
edges, buds have a ragged appearance
Bark: short trunk, grey-brown, corky, furrowed
bark
Fruit / seeds: creamy coloured flowers in groups 10-30cm,
Evergreen/deciduous: D
Uses: whittling and carving
Mildly
poisonous flowers and berries - should be cooked before eating!
Flowers
- wine, cordial or tea. Berries - preserves and wine and natural dyes.
|
Willow
Native to UK: yes
Age: 50 years
Height: 25 metres
Leaves: slender twigs, slender, oval leaves with
fine, silky white hairs on the underside.
Bark: grey/brown gets rough and bumpy with age
Fruit / seeds: catkins on separate M NS female trees in
spring, female catkins develop tiny
seeds dispersed by wind
Evergreen/deciduous: D, likes wet areas often found near rivers
Uses: flexible stems - weave baskets. Larger stems
were traditionally used to make small sailing boats. Cricket bats.
|
Birch
Native to UK: Yes
Age: 100 years
Height: 30 metres
Leaves: Delicate triangular leaves with slight tooth
edges.
Bark: Beautiful silver trunk – bark peels easily
for tinder.
Fruit / seeds: catkins in spring – lambs tails (m) short
erect (f)
Evergreen/deciduous: D
Uses: furniture, handles and toys
|
Sycamore
Native to UK: No
Age: 400 years
Height: 35 metres
Leaves: palm like leaves measure 7-16cm with five
lobes.
Bark: twigs in winter look pinkish-brown and are
hairless
Fruit / seeds: small green / yellow hanging flowers, winged
fruits that spiral like helicopters.
Evergreen/deciduous: D
Uses: timber – furniture , kitchenware
|
Oak
Native to UK: yes
Age: 300+ years
Height: 20-40m
Leaves: 10cm long - 4-5 deep lobes with smooth
edges, grow in bunches. Rounded buds in winter.
Bark: Their smooth and silvery brown bark becomes rough
and bumpy with age
Fruit / seeds: long catkins, acorns
Evergreen/deciduous:
Uses: Strong hardwood, ship building, furniture,
flooring, firewood.
|
Bramble
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: sends out shoots with barbs on them
Leaves: palmate (3-7) toothed
Flower: white / pale pink – 5 petals and lots of
stamen
Fruit / seeds: blackberry – forms from the flower
|
Common Bluebell
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: narrow long leaves
Flower: Delicate deep-violet blue bells at the end
of a stem which droop to one side. The ends of the bells turn back slightly
making a frilly edge. Scented
Fruit / seeds: bulbs
|
Nettle
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: Spear shapes leaves with toothed edge – arranged in opposite
pairs. Lots of tiny stinging hairs lie on the leaves and the stem (containing
histamine, serotonin, formic acid and acetylcholine
Flower: small greenish white at the base of the leaf
– separate male and female plants
Fruit / seeds: tiny seeds pollinated by wind
|
Blackthorn (Sloe)
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: spikey and densely branched, twigs are
smooth and dark brown that develop shoots on the sides which turn into brutal
spikes. Leaves are small oval toothed,
Flower: white flowers which are both male and female
Fruit / seeds: blue/ black 1cm fruits
|
Hawthorn
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: slender twigs covered in thorns, leaves have
toothed lobes
Flower: white with a pinkish tinge, highly scented –
both male and female
Fruit / seeds: haw (red berries)
|
Creeping Buttercup
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: hairy leaves - sends out runners and can
grow up to 50cm
Flower: 2cm wide bright shiny yellow flower – like a
golden cup
Fruit / seeds: sends out runners to create identical plants
|
Fungi
Common stinkhorn
Appearance: White / cream phallic looking in
appearance. They can spring up overnight to about 25cm high. Look slightly
slimy.
|
Bracket fungus – smoky polypore
Appearance: sticking out like ‘brackets’ the side of a
dead tree / stump. Greyish colour with white frilly tips.
|
Coral spot fungus
Appearance:
Small
red/pink raised spots – on tree stump in the swampy area of site.
|
Insects
Peacock
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: wingspan of 63-75mm, it is an orange-red
colour with eyes on the upper side of the hindwings that give this butterfly
its name.
|
Seven-spot ladybird
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: red wing-cases with a pattern of 7 black
spots, and a black and white pattern on the thorax
|
Green Shield Bug
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: bright green with tiny black dots and dark
wings
|
Comma Butterfly
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: 55-60mm ragged orange and brown wings - white marking on its
underside, which resembles a comma. When resting with wings closed this
butterfly has excellent camouflage
|
Greenfly (aphid)
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: 2-5mm long, green soft bodied insect, slow
moving, has limited flight
|
Hover fly
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: looks similar to a bee or wasp but is a fly
and doesn’t sting, yellow and black body
|
Mammals
Rabbit
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: brown short fur, white bob tail, long ears
Size: 35-40cm
Fact: comes out at dusk and dawn to find food -
shy
Herbivore: grass, plants and crops
|
Common shrew
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: long narrow nose, silky brown fur and a grey
underside
Size: 7.5cm
Fact: needs to eat every 2-3 hours, has a high
pitched squeak
carnivore: insects, slugs, snails and worms
|
Hedgehog
Native to UK: yes
Appearance: round bodies with light brown tipped spikes
and a pointy nose.
Size: 16-25cm
Fact: Mostly nocturnal, has approx. 5,000-7,000
spikes
Omnivore: beetles, worms and slugs
|
Fox
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: similar
to a dog with a reddish/orange coat on the upper side and silvery-white
in the underside, they have large pointed ears and a bushy tail with a white
tip
Size: 100-120cm
Fact: mainly nocturnal, excellent hunters – run
fast and jump easily
Carnivore: mammals, birds, insects
|
Grey Squirrel
Native to UK: No – introduced from N. America in 17th
century.
Appearance:-grey / brownish short fur, silver-grey
underside and a long fluffy tail used for balancing.
Size: 27cm
Fact: have very good memories for finding where
they have stored food
Herbivore: seeds, nuts
|
Wood Mouse
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: golden brown fur, except on their underside
where it is a silver-grey colour, large black eyes, large ears, long skinny
tail
Size: 8-11 cm
Facts: mainly nocturnal, good sense of smell and
night vision
Omnivore: berries, buds, nuts, seeds and insects
|
Birds
Jackdaw
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: smallest of the crow family, all glossy
black apart from a cape of grey around its shoulders, white-coloured eye
Size: 33cm
Wingspan: 67-74cm
|
Magpie
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: black with white patch on shoulders and on
underside with a long iridescent black/green tail.
Size: 44-46cm
Wingspan: 52-60cm
|
Robin
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: plump bird with bright orange-red breast,
face, throat and cheeks edged with grey, a white belly and light-brown upper
part
Size: 13-14cm
Wingspan: 20-22cm
|
Blue Tit
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: bright blue wings, tail and crown, yellow
underparts, greenish back, white face, and black eye stripe, bib and collar.
They also have a black streak down the middle of the belly, and a white stripe
on the wing, black beak and blue-grey legs
Size: 11.5cm
Wingspan: 17.5-20cm
|
Great Tit
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: Black crown, nape and throat, white cheeks,
yellow breast and belly with a black stripe down the centre. There is a white
stripe on the wing that are blue-grey, yellowish-green back, legs are
grey-blue and a black beak
Size: 14cm
Wingspan: 22-25cm
|
Pied wagtail
Native to UK: Yes
Appearance: A small black and white bird with a non-stop
long wagging tail, the distribution of black and white changes throughout the
season and depending on whether it is male or female
Size: 18cm
Wingspan: 25-30cm
|
