What will I see at Folly Farm?

The magic of Folly Farm has always been about plants and animals that were once common but have now been lost from many of their former haunts. You can find out how to spot these special species - look out for them on other Trust nature reserves too!

Wildlife at Folly Farm

Roll over the images for descriptions

Marsh Fritillary Butterfly

A combination of persistence and good fortune are usually required to see this species. Patient observation in late May or early June may be rewarded with views of a rather sluggish butterfly, which sports a beautiful chequerboard pattern in orangey-brown, black and white. Look for it close to swathes of its larval foodplant, devil's-bit scabious. The expert can find caterpillars in communal webs hidden in grass tussocks during the winter.

Buzzard

The only broad-winged bird of prey you'll see at Folly Farm is buzzard. It often announces its presence with a thin rising keee-ow call, emanating from a brown, finely patterned bird that characteristically soars on slightly raised wings, but may also glide on flatter wings or even hover clumsily. Buzzards are very variable, and extremely pale birds are not unusual. They are never very dark, however, and a black soaring bird is likely to be a raven.

Devil's-bit Scabious

In July and August it is hard to miss this plant on the grassland slopes at Folly Farm, when its deep bluish-purple pincushion-like flowers colour whole swathes of grassland. These grow in threes on stems about 30cm tall, above leaves that are very similar to those of black knapweed and very different to those of other scabious species, which are cut into segments. Devil's-bit scabious is one of the key indicators of unimproved grassland, whose abundance here tells us that these fields have not been sprayed with chemicals.

Badger

You'll have to stay up late to see the distinctive black and white striped face that we all know, but signs of badger activity are easy to find during the day. Look for well-trodden paths and trace these back to a fence or bramble where a quick search should reveal badger hairs, stiff and wiry, pale at one end and dark at the other. The rather sloppy droppings are deposited in a dung pit, and play a role in territorial marking.

Green Woodpecker

The combination of veteran trees and abundant ant hills makes Folly Farm an ideal site for green woodpeckers, which spend most of their time feeding on the ground. Their most common call is the famous laughing "yaffle" and they do not drum like the other British woodpeckers. The usual view is of a large green bird with a startling yellow rump disappearing with a distinctive bounding flight. Views of its red facial markings are much more rarely come by.

Barn Owl

There is little mistaking the ghostly white floating shape of a barn owl, and the British countryside offers few more stirring sights. This species is less vocal than most other owls, which is perhaps just as well given its repertoire of blood-curdling screams and yelps. It is not strictly nocturnal and in mid-summer, when nights are short and there are hungry mouths to be fed, barn owls can be watched hunting some time before sunset.

Ramsons

The damp clay woodland soils are ideal for ramsons, or wild garlic, which carpets extensive areas. No other garlic or onion species in Britain has broad leaves, which begin to appear as early as February. In the spring compact heads of white flowers are borne on short stalks, but you'll usually smell ramsons before you see it, especially if you bruise the leaves by treading on them.

Heath-spotted Orchid

You'll need to look for this orchid in June, when it grows in dense swathes on a few steep slopes. It has triangular heads of small pale pink or white flowers. It forms hybrids with common spotted orchid, from which it can be distinguished by its paler flowers and its rounded lower lip, which lacks the prominent central tooth of common spotted. The petals often have an intricate tracery of fine dots, unlike the coarser streaks of common spotted orchid.

Dyers Greenweed

This plant, found in the grassy slopes, bears dense heads of bright yellow vetch-like flowers, followed by small pea pods. It is related to gorse, though only a foot high, and like it is woody at the base, but it lacks spines and its bright green leaves are undivided. It was formerly used as the source of a dye, and a sprig of this plant in the cap of Henry of Anjou gave the Plantagenet royal house its name.

How to get to folly farm

We encourage visitors to use environmentally friendly forms of transport wherever possible. Most of our reserves are easily accessible by bicycle, with many close to the National Cycle Network.

If you are driving:

Travelling southwards from Bristol on the A37 travel through Pensford. At the Chelwood roundabout turn right onto the A368 towards Bishop Sutton. After about 2 miles go past the turning to Chew Magna and take the next small turning on your left very shortly after, just before reaching Stowey.

Or travel by bus from Bristol to Bishop Sutton (nos 673, 674, 675) or to Clutton no 376.