Author: Hazel Draper

Rewilding Species of the Month – The Golden Eagle

3 July 2026

In 2016, the last Golden Eagle in England passed away. It was in reading Lee Schofield’s book ‘Wild Fell’ that I was first introduced to the plight of this incredible species, as well as the importance of rewilded landscapes to their survival.
Rewilding Species of the Month: Slugs

1 June 2026

When choosing a rewilding species of the month, many species will stand out as clear options: the trophic cascading of the majestic eagle, the engineering prowess of the brilliant beaver, the splendid carbon sequestering seagrass. Few would consider the much-maligned slug. Yet this is exactly why slugs need to be chosen. In rewilding the UK,…
Rewilding Species of the Month: Common Ivy

1 May 2026

Ivy is a controversial plant that gets a whole lot of people reaching for the secateurs to butcher the green monster. In the UK, where Common Ivy is a native and therefore non-invasive species, this attitude can be symbolic of humanity’s need for control over nature or it may be symbolic of our misunderstanding of…
Rewilding Species of the Month: The Mountain Hare

1 April 2026

Some species play a key role in rewilding: altering landscapes, restoring ecosystems and/or creating balance through predation. This month, however, we focus on a species for whom rewilding could be the key to their survival on our shores – the mountain hare. The mountain hare is the UK’s only native hare and has been here…
Rewilding Species of the Month: The White Stork

2 March 2026

Our rewilding species this month, the White Stork, is a brilliant ambassador for species reintroduction. This beautiful bird is large enough to spot without the need for binoculars as it stands proudly on one bright red leg or congregates with others to draw graceful circles in the skies. It is a friendly species, happy to…
Rewilding Species Of The Month: Sphagnum Moss

3 February 2026

Being hailed across the internet as a ‘Miracle Moss’, ‘Nature’s Superpower’ and even ‘The Most Important Plant on Earth’ it’s about time that sphagnum enjoyed its place in the spotlight as our Rewilding Species of the Month. Although it is not strictly speaking a species but a genus (a family of closely related species), I’m sure that sphagnum…
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in the Ghost Woods

23 December 2025

‘Twas the night in a Ghost Wood, when all through the gloom Not a creature was stirring, beneath the cold moon; Pine needles were strewn ‘cross the empty brown floor Where once there were acorns and oh so much more Where rare slugs once nestled all snug in the leaves And visions of bluebells once…
Rewilding Species of the Month: The Boar

1 December 2025

The boar plays an incredible role in our ecosystems. Unfortunately, especially with current laws set against reintroduction, we are sorely missing this keystone species.
Rewilding Species Of The Month: The Oak

3 November 2025

Oak trees have always been entwined with human life, building our ships, flavouring our whisky, and structuring our steeples for centuries. Throughout history, the great oak has sheltered both our princes and our paupers and thousands of non-human species too
Wild Card trip to Embercombe

19 October 2025

As a group that’s all about nature but which organises via technology, it’s vital to Wild Card that we return to our roots whenever we get together. Hence, our in-person meet-ups prioritise opportunities to get out into the field, (though that field might be a meadow, a moor, a wetland or a woodland). These visits…