Spring is a great time of year for visiting nature reserves and seeing the fantastic display of colourful wildflowers. Woodlands are carpeted with bluebells, wild garlic, red campion, yellow archangel, cuckoo flower, garlic mustard, wood anemone and lesser celandine. These flowers are a great source of nectar for bees and other pollinating insects too. Early butterflies to look out for are orange tip, speckled wood and brimstones.

Good places in Nottingham to see these flowers are Clifton Woods, Seller's Wood, Wollaton Hall, Bulwell Hall and Colwick Woods

Join Park Ranger for Wildlife Walks and explorations in wildlife sites around the city. Please wear suitable outdoor clothing and walking boots. These walks usually go ahead even if it is raining, please phone the Ranger if the forecast is for adverse weather.

For more information, please contact Simon Jenkins on 07908 488722 or email him at simon.jenkins@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Butterfly Walk at Stanton Pit-tip (Babbington Colliery)
A walk around the old Babbington Colliery pit-tip in search of the Dingy Skipper butterfly wildflowers and day flying moths.

Tuesday 4th June - 10am

Meet at Cinderhill Tram Stop NG6 8SF Bagnall Road next to the Headstocks Pub. The walk will take approximately 2 hours and there are some slopes and rough paths.

Nature Walk at Whitemoor Nature Reserve, Basford
Whitemoor Nature reserve is positioned between the River Leen and Whitemoor allotments, it has a mix of river banks, marsh, ponds, open grassland, scrub and woodland providing a variety of habitats for a wide variety of wildlife.

Tuesday 25th June - 10am

Meet at Wilkinson Street Tram Stop, NG8 5FJ. The entrance is a walk way next to the Tram Tracks going north towards Hucknall. The walk will take around 1.5 hours and the ground is level, with a network of paths.

Nature Walk at Bulwell Hall Park
A mix of woodlands open grassland and meadows provide a variety of habitats for wildflowers, butterflies and birds.

Tuesday 16th July - 10am

Meet at the main entrance to the park, Norwich Gardens off Sandhurst Road NG6 8LF. This walk will last around 2 hours and there are muddy woodland paths, uneven ground & level paths throughout.

Nature Walk at Beeston Sidings LNR

Previously railway sidings, this brownfield site is home to the elusive slow worm, white-letter hairstreak and purple hairstreak butterflies along with various wildflowers and birds.

Thursday 1st August - 10am

 Meet outside the Lakeside Arts Centre in Highfields Park NG7 2RD, we will walk across University Boulevard to the reserve returning to Highfields Park via the Hockey Club. The walk will last around 2 hours and there is some uneven ground.

Recording what wildlife you see is a great way of understanding how numbers and distribution of plants and animals change over time. This information can help us better understand the natural world.

In Nottinghamshire, there are several wildlife groups who collect records of animals and plants. Here are a few:

• If you see any mammals in your garden, such as hedgehogs, foxes or mice, please report them to the Nottinghamshire Mammals Group

• Any sightings of frogs, toads, newts, snakes and other reptiles can be reported to the Nottinghamshire Amphibian and Reptile Group

• Sightings of birds can be sent to the Notts Birders website

You could also send any wildlife recordings to iRecord

There will be several volunteering sessions during May and June, at different places in Nottingham. All sessions start at 10am and usually last until 2pm. Please wear suitable work clothing and bring waterproofs, a packed lunch and something to drink. A flask for hot drinks will be available. There are no facilities on these sites so bring everything you need with you. We will provide all tools and equipment needed.

For more information, please contact Simon Jenkins on 07908 488722 or email him at simon.jenkins@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

1st and 5th June at Clifton Woods

We are at Clifton Woods Local Nature Reserve quite a lot in June, helping to remove Himalayan balsam which is an invasive non-native plant that can stop other wildflowers growing. Whilst we are there, we'll also listen out for the woodland birds which are found at Clifton Woods, such as the great spotted woodpecker and black cap, and look out for woodland wildflowers.

Please meet at the car park at Holgate, and we shall walk to the site from here. The walk will take about 20-30 minutes and there are some uneven paths. Use the NCT Navy Line number 1 bus to Clifton Green Stop. Then walk through the village via Nethergate to the Holgate entrance.

19th June at Seller's Wood

Seller's Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Green Flag award winning site. On this day, we will be opening up footpaths and cutting back some overhanging vegetation to make the site easier to walk round. We'll also have a look at the wildflower meadow to see what flowers are coming up and how many dragonflies we can see around the ponds!

Please meet at the main entrance off Seller's Wood Drive West. There is some off road parking available. The nearest bus stop of on Snape Wood Road and numbers 68, 69 and 69A stop there. From the bus stop, head southwest along Snape Wood Drive onto Wood Link and the entrance to Seller's Wood is at the end of the road. It is about a 5 minute walk.

26th June at Glapton Woods 

We will be opening up the footpaths to make access easier around the site and cutting a path through the wildflower meadow. We shall also be looking at the wildflowers, seeing what butterflies are in the woodland and doing a litter pick.

Meet at the entrance off Havenwood Rise. There is some on road parking. The nearest bus stops are on Farnborough Road, where several buses stop. Please check local timetables for more information. From Farnborough Road, head north up Haltham Walk, Bransdale Road or Chepstow Road onto Widecome Lane and then onto Havenwood Rise. The entrance is at the top corner of the road.

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