Ecclesall Woods: Autumn/Winter
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The colder months bring a lot of change to the Berries Minibeasts activities & Walks woods. Trees turn golden, the ground becomes In September, berries Little creatures live all Winter / Autumn crunchy, and thoughts turn to collecting for the appear on rowan, yew, over the woodlands Woods Ecclesall winter ahead. elder and hawthorn throughout winter. trees. Bramble bushes Creatures like woodlice, are abundant with beetles, slugs, snails, There’s still plenty to look out for and uncover blackberries. In the winter, earwigs, millipedes, and between the fallen leaves. See if you can spot holly trees have bright centipedes are active everything on this autumn tick list. And don’t red berries and ivy plants all year round. Roll a forget to take a picture to share with other have purple berries. These log over or move a few berries are an important leaves and see what you woodland explorers. food source for many fi nd underneath. Please animals, especially birds. remember to replace #ecclesallwoods the logs/leaves so the animals’ homes are not destroyed. Sweet chestnut Fallen leaves Birds The sweet chestnuts are Ecclesall Woods is home The woods are full of some of the oldest, largest to over 15 species of birds all year round. In trees in the woods. Look tree. How many different autumn, look out for pairs out for their grooved types of leaf can you fi nd? of jays collecting acorns trunks and large burrs. Try and collect them and and nuthatches climbing The leaves are large create a line of colour on up the trunks of trees. In with zig-zag edges and the ground, from green to winter, look out for robins the chestnuts fall to the yellow to orange to brown. sitting in the branches. If ground in spikey cases. you spot a robin, stand See if you can open a still and wait for it to sing. spikey case carefully, to fi nd the chestnuts inside. Buds Squirrels Ecclesall Woods is a wonderful place for a walk When deciduous trees At this time of year in all seasons. This leafl et includes three walks lose their leaves in winter squirrels are busy of different lengths, so you can choose one that it is hard to identify them. collecting nuts and seeds suits you. It also includes activities and exciting However, if you look and burying them in hiding things to look out for while exploring the woods. closely at the buds you places around the woods, can often work out what so that they can dig them tree it is. Look out for the up in winter when food ------------------------- black buds of ash trees, is scarce. Can you fi nd Woodland Discovery Centre, the bright green buds of an acorn and bury it like Abbey Lane, Ecclesall Woods, sycamore trees, and a a squirrel? If a squirrel Sheffi eld, S7 2QZ cluster of buds at the end doesn’t fi nd it, it might of the oak trees’ twigs. grow into an oak tree! 0114 235 6348 woodland.discovery@sheffi eld.gov.uk @ecclesallwoods #ecclesallwoods ------------------------- Q-pits Fungi Smell the woodland! 1. Smell the mud Winter is a great time to Ecclesall Woods is rich – get down low spot Q-pits. A Q-pit is a in fungi. The purple Imagine you are an animal in the and see what the circular dip in the ground coloured amethyst woods this autumn and winter. woodland fl oor where white coal was deceiver hides amongst Animals rely on their sense of smell to smells like. produced before the the leaf litter. Bracket fi nd food, fi nd their way around, leave 2. Smell the bark industrial revolution. There fungi cling to the dead messages for other animals and to of a tree – give a is abundance of Q-pits standing wood and earth stay away from predators. Can you tree a cuddle and and charcoal hearths in balls are often discovered use your nose in the woodland today? smell it! the woods. Can you see right by the side of the What does it smell like? circular depressions that paths. WARNING: some 3. Smell different are roughly three metres fungi are poisonous so leaves – do all across, with a gap where always wash your hands leaves smell the the chimney would have after touching them. same? been (this capital Q shape 4. Smell nuts and gives them their name). seeds – what do acorns smell like? Ancient woodlands. Enormous sweet chestnut Ecclesall Woods trees. Q-pits. A rustic coffee stop. Birdsong. D obcrob Whichever path you take through Ecclesall cr oft Ro Parkhead Ro Cricket Ground ad Woods, you’ll discover something delightful. Wood 1 Use this map to help you find a route that suits you. 30-minute stroll (suitable for pushchairs): Leave the Woodland Discovery Centre through the gate to the left of the car park and turn left. Continue down the slope until A you reach a wonky crossroads, take the second path and pass the b b e y fallen tree on your left. Continue on this path, past the beech tree L a n covered in fungi on your left. At the crossroads continue straight on. e When you cross a small, planked bridge, turn right. Continue to a crossroads with a beech tree and go straight on. At the next fork, take the right path. At the next junction take a sharp right, down the hill. Continue to the crossroads, turn left and walk back up to the Woodland Discovery Centre, through the gate on your right. th u ouo S 1-hour wander: d a oao R ll Leave the Woodland Discovery Centre through the gate to the left sa e cl of the car park and take the path to the right over the little bridge. c EnE EcclesalE n d o Turn left and bear left downhill to a bridge. Walk up the steps, w o o turn right and follow the bridleway. Take the left fork uphill at the d R o next junction. Turn left when you reach a fork in the path and a d continue uphill. Follow the path as it rounds to the left and begins to go downhill. Continue past a small path on your right. At the next fork, bear right. Go straight on at the next crossroads, signed to Abbeydale Road South. At the next junction bear left At the Road wdale Whhiirloowdal gate turn left. Walk all along the bottom path until you get to a Whhirlirlowdalele Rooa ad crossroads, go over the small, planked bridge. Continue over a crossroads, past a path on your right, and at the next junction take the AbA b b eey second exit leading uphill towards the Woodland Discovery Centre, Whirlow Wheel y L a through the gate on your right. n e Woodland Discovery Wood Collier’s Centre Monument 2-hour explore: ad Ro e R Leave the Woodland Discovery Centre through the gate to the left ag rs hehe t at n Wood 2 of the car park and take the path to the right over the little bridge. HaH e 5 c 252 s Turn left and bear left downhill to a bridge. Walk up the steps, turn 6 e A6A r C y y right and follow the bridleway. At the next junction turn right and go e e b b b Donkey b through the gate into the Donkey Field. At the next gate turn right and A A Field Whirlow Playing Field go down the steps. Turn right across the bridge, immediately left, and left again following the sign to Abbeydale Road South. At the corner with three gates turn left. Continue, cross the stream, and reach a gate. Turn left, cross a stream and turn immediately right, following the th u oou bridleway to Abbeydale Road South. Continue along this wiggly path S d past a double trunked oak tree on the left. At the next fork, bear right. e a n ooa a R LLa Bird Sanctuary Continue at the next crossroads to a gate. Abbeydale Road will le a b d m y i e be in front of you, turn left. Continue along this bottom path until you LimbL b bbbeydal A meet a major crossroads. Turn right and cross Abbey Lane. Enter the 1 A 2 6 woods and follow the bridleway through wood 2 and cross Whirlowdale A Road. In wood 1 follow the bridleway to the Dobcroft Road entrance. Ryecroft At the noticeboard crossroads go straight on, on the footpath signed Mill Abbeydale to Abbey Lane. Climb towards the top corner of wood 1 and turn left Industrial Hamlet on the footpath signed to Whirlowdale Road. Continue at the two Picnic Area crossroads to the road and cross over Abbey Lane. Re-enter wood 3 slightly to the right. Walk down the path and bear left to return to the Woodland Discovery Centre. Beauchief Gardens Wood 3 Abbeydale Miniature Railway Enjoyed these walks? Look out for other leaflets in the Woodland Discovery Centre – try the archaeology trail or an audio trail through the woods. For more information about the woods, events and 0 250 500 Car Park Dore Railway workshops visit www.sheffield.gov.uk/discoverycentre Station Metres Don’t forget to share what you discover using #ecclesallwoods.