Friends of Putnoe Wood and Mowsbury Hillfort

Friends of Putnoe Wood and Mowsbury Hillfort Community group supporting the Green Space Officers with activities relating to the two sites. administrator Andy Wilkins.

There are still orchids to be seen at Mowsbury Hill Meadow. A good year for the Pyramids but the Bee and the spotted a l...
13/06/2026

There are still orchids to be seen at Mowsbury Hill Meadow. A good year for the Pyramids but the Bee and the spotted a little harder to find. Take a stroll through to the Hillforts Courtyard Meadow to find a good population of Common Spotted orchids.

Bee orchids wink from the sun‑warmed slope,
little mimics with a trickster’s grace;
while pyramids rise in their rosy hope,
sharp as summer’s breath upon the place.

Common spotteds drift in mottled bloom—
speckled lanterns in the meadow’s sway—
softening the hillfort’s ancient gloom
as quiet guardians of the day.

And Mowsbury holds them, brief and dear,
its crown of orchids, year by year.

Just a reminder of the Wild Flower Walk at Mowsbury Hillfort. This Saturday 30th May. Meet at Mowsbury Golf Club car par...
28/05/2026

Just a reminder of the Wild Flower Walk at Mowsbury Hillfort.
This Saturday 30th May. Meet at Mowsbury Golf Club car park at 1.30pm.

Nettles & Cleavers 3 Friends 1.Time to try and manage the early summer growth. Check the orchids which are a bit slow to...
28/05/2026

Nettles & Cleavers 3 Friends 1.
Time to try and manage the early summer growth. Check the orchids which are a bit slow to appear this year and the hunt for our butterfly friends who appeared to have taken Wednesday as a half day off .

Not many butterflies to be spied during the transect at Mowsbury Hillfort today. but a buzzard did keep watch from above...
13/05/2026

Not many butterflies to be spied during the transect at Mowsbury Hillfort today. but a buzzard did keep watch from above. The chilly wind and rain kept them curled up somewhere. The plants appeared to be enjoying the down pours but for us it was good to get the chores done, absorb a little vitamin C from the brighter spells of sunshine and then head for home.

It's that time of year again when you will notice trees such as hawthorn and apple covered in a white shroud. The guilty...
12/05/2026

It's that time of year again when you will notice trees such as hawthorn and apple covered in a white shroud. The guilty party here is the Ermine moth. The trees should recover but it's not a pretty sight.

In Putnoe Wood the bluebells lean and thin,Their violet hush worn pale by rain and wind.Spring’s first choir, once brigh...
06/05/2026

In Putnoe Wood the bluebells lean and thin,
Their violet hush worn pale by rain and wind.
Spring’s first choir, once bright beneath the beech,
Now fades beyond the blackbird’s evening reach.

Amongst the oaks, an ash tree lifts its crown,
Grey-barked and old, it watches seasons drown.
Around its roots the small balsam appears,
A tender green that thickens year by year.

The bluebells bow like memories in the loam,
While balsam claims the paths they used to own.
Yet still the wood breathes deep in leaf and bird,
Holding both the lost, and the newly stirred.

Images of Putnoe Wood today.In Putnoe Wood the bluebells fade, their twilight carpets thin, as summer warms the quiet ...
29/04/2026

Images of Putnoe Wood today.

In Putnoe Wood the bluebells fade,
their twilight carpets thin,
as summer warms the quiet paths
and brighter days begin.

The last soft bells give up their hue
to sunlit fern and flower—
spring’s whisper slips between the trees,
and summer takes the hour.

Just a reminder.The wildflower walk is this coming Saturday 2nd May at Putnoe Wood. Why not have lunch or a cupper at th...
29/04/2026

Just a reminder.
The wildflower walk is this coming Saturday 2nd May at Putnoe Wood. Why not have lunch or a cupper at the Four Seasons Café and stroll off the calories with Jon and Chris. The bluebells are still making their presence known and you might even spy a White bell our logo. Meet up at the main wood entrance 1.30 pm.

Unfortunately there will not be a wassail 2026. Due to our dwindling membership and of course we are not as young as we ...
03/11/2025

Unfortunately there will not be a wassail 2026. Due to our dwindling membership and of course we are not as young as we were it has been decided that we could not make ready or safely manage the event. Perhaps in the future like the phoenix the Mowsbury Hillfort Wassail will rise from the ashes.
So on behalf of the Friends of Putnoe Wood and Mowsbury Hillfort we would like to thank Hemlock Morris and of course yourselves for supporting the wassail over the years.

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Mowsbury Hillfort, Cleat Hill
Bedford

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