10 surprising facts about British Woodlands
by Angus, 22 January, 2024, 3 comments
There are now more deer in the UK than there have been for 1,000 years. Probably between 650,000 and 2,000,000, of which about half live in Scotland.
Dormice like sleeping and can sleep for up to 7 months a year.
UK woodlands are home to half the world’s flowering bluebells.
There are 15,000 species of fungi, on land, in water and even on plants and animals.
Swallows migrate annually to Southern Africa travelling 6,000 miles twice a year.
Grey squirrels have become a problem because they were released deliberately, in 1876.
Half the deer species in the UK were escapees - three of our six deer species, being Muntjac, Sika, Chinese Water Deer.
Conifers have been around so long that they were dinosaur food - about 300 million years.
The oldest British trees predate Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. One of the oldest is the Fortingall Yew in Scotland, estimated to be as much as 3,000 years old.
Not all conifers have cones - the Juniper, for example, has fruits that are tiny, round, fleshy and berry-like.
