Many of you will have seen the Wildflower and Lake Habitat boards in the west side of Pittville Park, which inform visitors about some of the biodiversity there. The same team of volunteers are working on a third board with the theme of ‘native trees’ that describes the benefits that this habitat provides.

Native trees are those that were established after the last ice age but before the English Channel was formed, approximately 10,000 years ago. These trees tend to be more beneficial to animals, insects and fungi than other tree species and therefore ten native trees have been selected for a tree walk; these are illustrated on the board. There will also be photographs of some of the animals, insects and fungi that live in this habitat and can be seen in the park – although this will depend on the time of year and day.

There will be notes on the importance of these trees as they grow and live in the park and about the habitat benefits they provide as they decay. In a public park tree management is also important to ensure they are healthy and safe. There will be a QR code provided on the board, as there is on the other two habitat boards, so that a copy can be downloaded onto a smartphone or tablet. The board is paid for by a grant from the Gloucestershire County Council Build Back Better fund awarded to FoP and should be in place by the end of August.