10th October 2025

There is a new public right-of-way which skirts the edge of Twitham wood. Although it is now on the definitive map, much of it remains inaccessible. The wood is a plantation of mixed deciduous trees with little signs of management, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The southern edge is predominately shrubs with Guelder Rose, Hawthorn, Wild Privit and Dogwood. Lots and lots of berries and my first Redwings of the season were in attendance today. The two non-native roses in the picture also caught my eye, with their attractively contrasting hip colours. The one with red berries is probably Virginia Rose (Rosa virginiana) and the one with black hips is Burnet Rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia). Both species have spread along the length of this woodland edge providing lots of fruit for wildlife this winter.

Virginia Rose and Burnet Rose