The Living Rainforest

The Living Rainforest See amazing rainforest plants & animals year-round at our indoor visitor centre in West Berkshire

At the Living Rainforest, visitors can experience a living tropical rainforest ecosystem and see over 900 species of unusual plants and animals in three glasshouses. On site, we also have a cafe, shop, outside patio and play area so you can make the most of your visit. Our award-winning school visits programme is very popular and, every year, we welcome around 25,000 schoolchildren and teachers on guided tours.

What an amazing find!Our Trinidad Stream Frogs continue to surprise us. Hidden away inside a bromeliad in the rainforest...
12/06/2026

What an amazing find!

Our Trinidad Stream Frogs continue to surprise us. Hidden away inside a bromeliad in the rainforest glasshouse, we recently spotted a male stream frog guarding his babies.

This is a natural behaviour that we often talk about on our tours, but witnessing it ourselves in the glasshouses is incredibly rare. In the wild, bromeliads play a vital role in the lives of these frogs. Their tightly packed leaves form small pools of water, creating a safe nursery where eggs and tadpoles can develop away from many predators found in streams and rivers.

Male Trinidad Stream Frogs are devoted parents, often staying close to their young and protecting them as they grow. Seeing this behaviour here at The Living Rainforest is a fantastic sign that the frogs feel at home in their habitat and are displaying the same natural behaviours they would in the rainforest.

It's a wonderful reminder of the important relationships between plants and animals, and how a single bromeliad can become a safe microhabitat for our frogs.

The beautiful Myrmecophila tibicinis, also known as the Trumpet Player's Schomburgkia Orchid, is really standing out in ...
09/06/2026

The beautiful Myrmecophila tibicinis, also known as the Trumpet Player's Schomburgkia Orchid, is really standing out in the Lowlands glasshouse this week.

This unusual orchid was once classified in the Schomburgkia genus, named after the German botanist and explorer Moritz Richard Schomburgk. However, scientists later moved it into the Myrmecophila genus, which means "ant-loving".

The name is a perfect fit because this orchid has hollow structures at the base of its leaves that provide a home for ant colonies. In the wild, the ants gain a safe place to live, while the orchid benefits from the nutrients the ants leave behind and, in some cases, protection from plant-eating insects. This type of partnership, where both species benefit, is known as a symbiotic relationship.

Next time you're exploring the Lowlands glasshouse, keep an eye out for its spectacular flower spikes and fascinating adaptations.

We’ve been treated to an unexpected bloom from our Jade Vine!We usually expect to see this spectacular plant flower arou...
08/06/2026

We’ve been treated to an unexpected bloom from our Jade Vine!

We usually expect to see this spectacular plant flower around Easter, and after putting on an incredible display last year and producing several seed pods, we weren’t sure if it would bloom again this season. However, to our delight, we arrived last week to find a beautiful new flower spike emerging.

Unfortunately, this bloom hasn’t produced much pollen, so we won’t be collecting any seed pods this year. Even so, it’s fantastic news and a wonderful indication that our Jade Vine, which is over 100 years old, is thriving and in excellent health.

Don't miss the chance to see the incredible jade colour of these flowers. It’s even more stunning in person and is one of the most striking blooms found in the rainforest.

If you'd like to learn more about how the Jade Vine is pollinated, be sure to pick up one of our Secrets in Colour activity booklets. The Jade Vine, along with many other colourful rainforest plants and animals, features throughout the booklet, helping visitors discover the fascinating role colour plays in nature.

Happy World Environment Day 🌎This year’s theme is climate change, which is a particularly important focus at The Living ...
05/06/2026

Happy World Environment Day 🌎

This year’s theme is climate change, which is a particularly important focus at The Living Rainforest. So much so that last year we launched a dedicated climate change tour for schools. This tour explores how a warming world is already impacting ecosystems and communities across the globe.

With rising global temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events, climate change is something that affects us all. You may have even noticed record-breaking heat in May, with temperatures reaching 30°C or higher in parts of the UK. These patterns are a clear reminder of just how urgent it is to reduce global emissions before conditions become even more extreme.

The good news is that the younger generation is already leading the way with fresh ideas, creativity, and a strong sense of responsibility for the planet. Their energy and determination offer real hope that meaningful change is not just possible, but already underway. 🌱

If you would like to book your school on one of our climate change tours enquire at: https://livingrainforest.org/schools/school-tours/request-a-school-tour

Love them or hate them, cockroaches are a bit like marmite.We personally love them and one of the many reasons why is be...
04/06/2026

Love them or hate them, cockroaches are a bit like marmite.

We personally love them and one of the many reasons why is because of the incredible ecosystem services they provide. Cockroaches are what’s known as detritivores, meaning they feed on dead and decaying matter. In tropical forests, around 12 tonnes of dead plant material can fall per hectare every year, and without detritivores helping to break it down, the rainforest floor would quickly become covered in rotting waste, creating the perfect breeding ground for disease.

So whether they’re your favourite animal or not, we hope you can still appreciate the important job these misunderstood little recyclers do for the rainforest ecosystem 🪳🌿

It’s an incredible achievement to have been nominated for a 7th consecutive year in the Best Geography Learning Experien...
03/06/2026

It’s an incredible achievement to have been nominated for a 7th consecutive year in the Best Geography Learning Experience category!

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all the schools that continue to visit and support us — we couldn’t do it without you.

If you’d like to help us become this year’s winner, please cast your vote by visiting: schooltravelorgniser.com/awards/vote
Voting closes on 31st July.

Although it’s been a hot few weeks outside, around our Amazonica pond things have actually stayed surprisingly cool. The...
02/06/2026

Although it’s been a hot few weeks outside, around our Amazonica pond things have actually stayed surprisingly cool. The evaporation from the water creates a natural cooling effect throughout the Amazonica glasshouse, helping both our plants and animals stay comfortable during the warmer weather.

Our team are regularly checking water levels to make sure the animals stay well hydrated, while the plants are also getting plenty of hydration checks and extra care during the heat.

While you’re visiting us in this warm weather, don’t forget to keep yourselves hydrated too 💧

You might have seen our Titan arum in the Lowlands glasshouse, but have you spotted its smaller relative, the Amorphopha...
01/06/2026

You might have seen our Titan arum in the Lowlands glasshouse, but have you spotted its smaller relative, the Amorphophallus konjac?

Although it doesn't reach the gigantic proportions of its famous cousin, this fascinating plant still puts on an impressive display. Native to parts of Asia, Amorphophallus konjac produces a striking flower spike that emerges before its leaf and, like the Titan arum, uses a rather unpleasant smell to attract pollinating insects.

Once the flowering period is over, a single large leaf emerges from the underground corm. Despite looking like a small tree, this is actually just one enormous leaf helping the plant gather energy for the next growing season.

Nature is full of weird and wonderful plants, and Amorphophallus konjac is certainly one of them.

Next time you're exploring the glasshouses, see if you can spot this unusual relative of the Titan arum.

With all of these unusually hot days, we're sure you've been having a lot of this climbing orchid. It's a favourite flav...
30/05/2026

With all of these unusually hot days, we're sure you've been having a lot of this climbing orchid. It's a favourite flavour of ice cream, and it's not native to where you might think it comes from.

Vanilla planifolia, the source of natural vanilla flavouring, is actually native to the tropical forests of Mexico and Central America. The vanilla pods we use in cooking are the fruit of this remarkable orchid, making vanilla one of the few orchid species grown commercially for food.

Today, most of the world's vanilla is grown in Madagascar, which produces around 80% of the global supply. However, vanilla is not native to Madagascar and was introduced there in the 19th century. Because the specialised pollinators found in its native range are absent, every flower must be pollinated by hand. Each flower only opens for a single day, making vanilla cultivation a highly skilled and labour-intensive process.

Next time you're enjoying a scoop of vanilla ice cream, remember that its flavour comes from a climbing rainforest orchid that originated in Central America but is now grown on a huge scale in Madagascar.

29/05/2026

When will your next rainforest adventure be?

Book your next visit at livingrainforest.org

📍Location: The Living Rainforest, Hampstead Norreys, Berkshire, RG18 0TN

Address

The Living Rainforest
Hampstead Norreys
RG180TN

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 4pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 4pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 4pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4pm
Friday 9:30am - 4pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4pm

Telephone

+441635202444

Website

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