DENGE WOOD, NR CANTERBURY, KENT

This lovely ancient woodland is situated a few miles from Canterbury and is rife with wildflowers, wildlife and orchids. It is also home to the last surviving population of Duke of Burgundy butterflies in Kent (photo courtesy Butterfly Conservation):

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Walking through the woods at any time of year is magical. Wide pathways lead into the woods and you are surrounded on either side by widflowers and trees such as Chestnut, Conifer, Beech, Hazel, Oak. Even in winter the woods are beautiful.

In spring the Bluebells arrive and the many species of orchid start to put in an appearance - Twayblade, Common Spotted, Man, Fragrant, Early Purple, the rare Lady Orchid and Pyramidal:

Other wildflowers include Lesser Knapweed:

Wild Foxglove:

Wild Columbine, Eyebright, Scarlet Pimpernel, Nettle-leaved Bellflower, Centaury:

Birds such as Nightingales, Spotted Flycatchers and Chiffchaffs also live in the woods, as do dormice, lizards and 32 species of butterfly. The woodland is managed by the Woodland Trust and Butterfly Conservation recently conculded a project in 2010 to better prepare the woods for Duke of Burgundy butterflies.

The woods also have areas of scrubland and chalk grassland known as Bonsai Bank, where many butterflies and sunny wildflowers can be found. The track below leads to Bonsai Bank:

The following photos were taken in July 2012 in the area below and around Bonsai Bank, truly a wonderful piece of nature!

And then you finally get to an area where the woods open up into undulating countryside and more wildflowers, butterflies and bees!