Sewerby Hall and Gardens
Woodland Walk
- Links :
- Introduction
- Trees
- Birds
- Flowers and Plants
- Butterflies
- Small Animals
- Plant and Animal Search
Introduction
Take a journey of exploration along Sewerby Hall’s Woodland Trail. Don’t worry, we’re not going to drag you off on a long country walk! The trail follows easy paths over gentle slopes and steps and only takes about 20 minutes, but once you start looking around you at the inhabitants along the way, you might find you want to spend a little longer exploring than you thought!
The trees and plants of Sewerby Hall offer not only shelter to birds
and other animals but also food as well. Print out the Activity Sheet
on the right, take it with you on your visit and tick off all the plants
and animals that you see on your walk. 
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| Sycamore Leaves
Trees
Sycamore trees are famous for their winged seeds that fall in Autumn, which some people call 'locks and keys or 'helicopters''.
Another tree you will see near the start of the walk is Ash. Can you tell the difference between these and the other trees on this Woodland Walk?
| Wren
Birds
Keep a look out for woodland birds as you walk. The song thrush is a familiar site along this route as it likes to feed on berry bearing shrubs and creatures such as slugs and snails, and you can easily recognise it by its lovely speckled breast. You may also see robins and wrens here if you are quiet, but look carefully - the wren is Britain's smallest bird!
Flowers and Plants
As the walk continues you can see many woodland flowers and plants, especially in spring. And be warned – you might get caught by cleavers, or goosegrass, often known as 'sticky weed' – you’ll soon see why! Covered in tiny hooks, the plant sticks itself to passers-by – animal and human! Its tiny seeds are just as 'sticky' and when you brush them off later you have helped spread sticky weed to a new location.
| Red Admiral
Butterflies
Many of the Woodland Walk's wildflowers provide food for butterflies. One of the most impressive resident butterflies is the red admiral which may be found fluttering along the edge of the trail. These butterflies are fairly large in size and visit Britain every summer from Europe.
| Painted Lady
The small tortoiseshell and painted lady butterflies love the sunshine, and you’ll see them among the flowers on the edge of the trail. The painted lady is especially fond of thistles and is mostly seen in coastal areas like Sewerby.
| Mole
Small Animals
What was that? A mini-earthquake, or a volcano? Don’t worry! If the ground is shaking and soil is being pushed upwards it’s probably just a mole busy searching for food. These little brown furry creatures live beneath the ground, and there are plenty of them at Sewerby!
| Fox
Other mammals that you may be lucky enough to see are foxes and grey squirrels, but to do so you have to be really quiet as any noise will scare them off.
If you notice piles of logs lying on the woodland floor don’t disturb them - they help to provide shelter for many small mammals and invertebrates.
Plant and Animal Search
Find out more about the plants and animals on our Woodland Walk, by visiting the Plant Search and Animal Search.
