Woodlanders Forest School

14/09/2025

A little foraging project this weekend. Trying to use the plentiful hawthorn berries.

30/10/2024

Please consider supporting the purchase of land to extend a wonderful woodland and help people of all ages access Shining Cliff Woods.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/purchasing-and-rewilding-netherpark-farmland?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2s7RwfsXh06h69cqJ5ferirKNbCanAGyHA6WLDi-KvX-AE9pv7ZGvzPKM_aem_cSw2CD3Xg3gLs0PYdvaaLw

06/05/2024

Wow!

22/11/2023

Pre-knitting and spinning was a long time ago! Imagine a world without something to hold things together. It is amazing to see nettle fibres in a ball of thread dating back to around 5900 years ago. This was the first fibre I used to make cordage. I had an overwhelming feeling of familiarity in my fingers and instinct preparing and twisting the nettle fibres into cordage. People have been doing this for a long time.

No one knows just how long humans have been spinning plant and animal fibers into thread and yarn. Certainly, considering that we now know that Homo-Sapiens has been around far longer than we previously understood, we could be looking at 100,000 years, possibly even more. The sad thing is such materials decompose rather quickly so evidence is sparse indeed.
Here is a piece of real knowledge. This is a small ball of yarn spun from fibers of the stinging nettle plant. It is from the Late Neolithic period, approximately 5900 years ago. Discovered in what is now now Marin-Epagnier in Switzerland, it has managed to survive because it became carbonized over time.
Looking at this humble object I cannot but wonder at the skill level on display. Look at how evenly and finely this has been spun.
I have so far been unable to find where this amazing object is held.

28/09/2023

Sycamore Gap by Zoe Mitchell

You’re history, said the tree to the wall;
the last crumbling remains of empire.

You are the invader, replied the wall.

I am the conqueror, said the tree to the wall;
sending platoons of seeds across my territory.

I stand alone, replied the wall.

I chose this valley, said the tree to the wall;
stretching my roots under your scored foundations.

I belong here, replied the wall.

I am growing taller, said the tree to the wall;
you’re a lonely stone sentry outstripped by a sapling.

I remain, replied the wall.

I am a survivor, said the tree to the wall;
I host the resurrection of each turning season.

I endure, replied the wall.

You’re the one they blame, said the tree to the wall; insensate barrier, stone-deaf to the rough bark of liberty.

You cannot know, replied the wall.

27/09/2023

Jan White knows the very deepest things of why it’s important to play in nature. She has taught me so much about why I do what I do and who I am. I was a child who played in nature and I formed a deep attachment with the natural world. It is in my soul and runs through my veins. Jan somehow articulates what I know deep inside but can’t give a voice to. A must listen for anyone who was also a child who played in nature. Thank you !

04/07/2023

Be vigilant and report sightings. Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) confirmed on oak trees in Derbyshire. The caterpillars will be visible during July. They damage trees and can cause skin and eye irritations. More here .

25/05/2023

Mooching around the garden finding things to cook. Feels very decadent!

19/05/2023

Anyone else feel like we’ve missed spring and gone from winter to early summer? It’s a verdant and lush wonderland out there. Round of applause for the hawthorn, they couldn’t be clothed in more flowers!

08/02/2023

I don’t often stop the car to take a photo but it was too stunning not to on the way to the woods this morning 💚 I’m so lucky this is my drive to work!

07/11/2022

I never cease to be amazed and in awe of nature. This is the trail left in a beech leaf by the caterpillar of a leaf mining micro moth (possibly Stigmella tityrella). The caterpillars keep cytokinin levels high in the leaf keeping the part (usually between 2 veins) they are eating green and nutritious, while the rest of the leaf loses its chlorophyll. The woods we’re covered in these 3 toned leaves today.

15/09/2022

Over the last few weeks I’ve felt really inspired to learn how to make cordage. Here are my first nettle fibres harvested a few hundred meters from my home twisted up into a beautiful and strong string. As I’m twisting the strands I pondered on the instinctive way my fingers move and how they know what to do. I also have this feeling when I make bread. I feel deeply in the moment and focused on my hands working. Have I done it before or is it an echo of the millions of hours of twisting up string that has come before? Do these things sit deep in human psyche, something so familiar in our pasts that they’ve imprinted deeply into us?