Berrylands Nature Reserve is a much loved wild green community space, which provides the perfect environment for discovering lots of special local wildlife, an enjoyable place to take a walk with a furry companion, or as a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Nestled between suburban residential roads, and despite being a compact 5 hectares in size, the site is composed of a mosaic of different types of habitat which make it welcoming home to a wide variety of creatures and plant life, and an enjoyable place to reconnect with the natural world.
The space is cared for by local community group the “Friends of Berrylands Nature Reserve”, so why not get involved in helping out by joining in with one of our events or by becoming a member
Stream
Flowing the length of the site is a meandering stream, a tributory of the Hogsmill River, where birds like heron, egret and kingfisher can be regularly sighted feeding on the minnows and sticklebacks within.
You might also be able to catch a glimpse around dusk of some of the reserve’s resident bats on their daily hunt for a variety of insects over the surface of the water.
Woodland
Areas of broadleaf woodland throughout the nature reserve, historically part of a field boundary hedge, are composed of beautiful majestic oak trees, as well as hazel, hawthorn and blackthorn.
Many a visit is likely to be accompanied by the distinctive revitalising calls of song thrush, or the rythmical drumming of a woodpecker.
Wildlife Pond
On a warm summer day there can be no nicer place to be than sat quietly beside the wildlife pond in the centre of the nature reserve, transfixed by the activities of a wide array of damselflies and dragonflies.
Having been dug as part of the major works on the site in summer 2018, marginal aquatic vegetation is fast establishing on the banks, and it is already a fabulous breeding ground for frogs, toads and newts.
Grassland
The nature reserve is also a space much enjoyed by “man’s best friend’, and where better than the large grassland areas to be ‘off the lead’, free to bound and play.
In the verges splashes of colour from native wildflowers and abundant berry-laden bushes, provide valuable sustinance for birds and small mamals.
A Helping HAnd
Throughout the nature reserve are areas where local volunteers are giving nature a little extra help, most noticeably through features like the bug hotel, hibernaculum for amphibians, and stag beetle loggery.
The Friend of Berrylands Nature Reserve community group run regular conservation sessions to maintain and enhance the site for both wildlife and the local community.