One of 46 Wildlife Trusts working across the UK, Cornwall Wildlife Trust believes in a wilder future for Cornwall where our wildlife and wild places are cherished for all to enjoy. Where nature reserves are havens in which rare species flourish and colourful plants thrive for future generations.
Their work spills out from nature reserves into land conservation, for Cornwall’s hedgerows and heathlands, footpaths and farmlands, wildflower meadows and woodlands to burst with wildlife. Beyond our cliffs lies the ocean, where their marine conservation work at sea is equally urgent, so our waters are full of vibrant and extraordinary marine life.
They are also interested in people and want to make sure Cornwall’s wildlife and wild places remain a constant source of wonder and wellbeing for everyone.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust identified five species found in Cornwall that would benefit from our support, including a specific local reserve that each species calls its home (for at least part of the year). Our employee-owners were invited to choose the species they’d most like us to support from the Nightjar, Marsh Fritillary Butterfly, Hazel Dormouse, Skylark and Common Pipistrelle Bat.
Our colleagues chose the bat so we became a Reserve Guardian of Devichoys Wood which is situated between Truro and Falmouth and dates back to at least the 1650s. It’s an excellent example of unspoiled ancient woodland where beech, holly and rowan trees grow alongside oak trees on the reserve, rising above a rich variety of wildlife on the woodland floor, including flowering plants and fungi. Although any funds raised via this scheme go towards supporting all 59 Cornwall Wildlife Trust nature reserves across Cornwall so we will in fact be helping to protect all of these species as well as thousands of others.
The common pipistrelle bat is so small it can fit into a matchbox but despite its size, it can easily eat 3,000 insects a night. They feed on midges, moths and other flying insects that they find in the dark by using echolocation. They hibernate over winter, usually between November and April, but may come out to feed on warm days. They roost in tree holes, bat boxes and even the roof spaces of houses and barns, often in small colonies.
Image credit: Amy Lewis
More information about our Reserve Guardianship of Devichoys Wood here
In May 2024 we joined in an enjoyable and informative ‘netwalking’ event with the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce at Helman Tor where Cornwall Wildlife Trust are creating the largest ever nature recovery scheme in Cornwall, using pioneering rewilding techniques.
