Celebrating our Woodland Flagship species
30 April 2025
During our Public Consultation we ran a vote, just for fun, to find out who our most beloved species were in the county – we gave you a choice of 4 or 5 from each habitat setting – and you voted in your hundreds! So now we are going to give each of the contenders their moment in the spotlight, before revealing the winner of each category…Starting with our woodland champions, and the wonderful Tawny Owl.
Tawny Owl (Photo credit: Jim Higham)
Did you know that whenever you do your best “twit twoo” owl impression, you are mimicking a male Tawny owl? In fact, both male and female Tawny owls are incredibly vocal, with the female having a more high pitched “ke-wick” call.
Tawny owls are nocturnal, emerging from their roosts in tree cavities each evening to hunt through the night. As woodland hunters, their short wingspan makes them excellent at negotiating obstacles, allowing them to weave completely silently through the trees. Small mammals, like mice and voles, make up the majority of their diet, but they will also eat frogs, beetles, and even worms. And we can’t talk about Tawny owls without mentioning their absolutely adorable chicks – if you need help imagining what they look like, just picture a big ball of grey fluff with eyes – just gorgeous!
Next up in our woodland flagship species contenders is the English Bluebell.
English Bluebell (Photo credit: Jim Higham)
Bluebell woodland (Photo credit: Jim Higham)
If you’ve been for a walk in one of our Kentish woodlands in the last couple of weeks, you have probably noticed Bluebells starting to emerge. They are particularly associated with our ancient woodlands, where they can cover the woodland floor in spectacular carpets of purpley-blue. English Bluebells, as the name would suggest, are native to this country, and they can be identified by the pendulous quality of the flowers, that hang down from the stem. The flowers of the more boisterous non-native Spanish variety, in comparison, stand up straighter.
Bluebells have been associated with lots of ancient English myths related to fairies and witches, but they have also played a practical role throughout history, with extracts being used as a glue!
Bluebells can be easily crushed by footfall, and it can take them years to recover from trampling, so if you’re out and about to see them in all their glory this Spring, be sure to stick to paths.
Our next contender was an invertebrate that is becoming an increasingly rare sight – the impressive Stag Beetle.
Stag Beetle (Illustration by Amber Anderson)
The Stag Beetle is our largest native species of beetle, reaching sizes of up to 7.5cm. Their name is derived from the antler-like mandibles that are found on the male, which they use these for attracting females, and battling rivals during the mating season, hoisting them off branches and logs!
Did you know adults don’t eat, and instead survive on reserves that they built up as larvae, as they feed on dead wood? This larval stage can last from 3-7 years – once you see them as adults, they will only continue to live for mere months to complete the reproductive cycle, and then they will die. This is why it is so important that we have undisturbed areas of dead wood – if these areas are disturbed, stag beetles can’t complete their lengthy larval stage, and emerge as adults.
And so to our woodland flagship species winner – this firm favourite won by a country mile, with almost 50% of the votes! It is, of course, the adorable Hazel Dormouse!
Hazel Dormouse (Photo credit: The Woodland Trust)
Whilst the Hazel Dormouse is found in our woodlands, you won’t find it scurrying around on the woodland floor when it is active – it spends the summer months up in the branches, rarely ever touching the ground. It changes its diet as the seasons change around it, eating flowers of hawthorn, willow and brambles, as well as caterpillars in the Spring and Summer, before fattening up on berries and nuts in the Autumn ahead of hibernation.
The sleepy hibernating Dormouse is perhaps the most common depiction of this little woodland resident – as temperatures drop in late Autumn, it will descend to the forest floor and find shelter under leaf litter or beneath hedgerows, tucking itself into a ball with its furry tail. This hibernating period is where the Hazel Dormouse is most vulnerable, and so by protecting its habitat of hedgerows, scrub and coppice woodland, we can give this beautiful and rare creature the best chance of making it through the harsh winter months.
A worthy winner, we think you’ll agree!
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