The urban oasis of the River Wey and Godalming Navigations is an important green corridor amidst the bustle of modern day Surrey.
The banks and waterway support a rich variety of wildlife, so whether you're on a walk or in a boat, keep your eyes peeled for the natural world around you!
Help us count our butterflies and damselflies...
Download and print out these simple wildlife survey sheets and let us know what you see when you're out and about.
Trees along the River Wey:
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Purplish buds and criss-cross ridges help to identify the elder in winter. It is often found on chalky soils or wasteland where it will most often resemble a shrub or small tree. Traditionally, elder was viewed as a great healer and all parts of the tree were used for a variety of ailments.
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Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Naturally forms a dense tree with very thorny twigs. It is often used for hedging, although this was a practice that made the hawthorn very unpopular when it was used extensively to enclose Britain’s countryside after the General Enclosures Act of 1845, which forced people off the land and into the cities.
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Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
Having both catkins and cones make the alder easily recognisable in winter, as does the profile and frequent position near water. Alder had many traditional and diverse uses: in whistles and pipes, spinning wheels and clogs. Its leaves were used to tan leather and in the production of gunpowder!
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English Oak (Quercus robur)
The orangey-brown clustered buds in winter are a giveaway of the oak. When you also see oak apples, you can be in no doubt! Oaks can live for over 1,000 years and great oak forests once covered most of western Europe. Don’t stand under an oak in a storm - it has low electrical resistance and is struck by lightening more often than other species!
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Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
The black tipped buds are unlike any other species. It is also recognisable as being the last wild tree to bear leaves in spring and one of the first to lose its leaves in winter. Ash was highly valued for its strength, elasticity and burning qualities.
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Birch (Betula pendula)
Another easy tree to identify in winter due to its silvery peeling bark which never rots, even after the tree dies. The bark was traditionally used as parchment for writing before the advent of paper, and the wood was used for making babies’ cradles. It is a short-lived (not more than 100 years!) pioneer species that will quickly colonise waste ground before other species take over, and then die out.
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Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus)
In a good year, this is a very decorative small tree during the winter months when it is adorned with bright red berries, unfortunately toxic to humans, but very pretty.
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Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Hazel is notable in winter partly for the colour of its bark, but also for the way in which the stems spread horizontally from the main branch (as shown in the second photo). Hazel was traditionally coppiced or pollarded and the poles used in building houses – the 'wattle' of wattle and daub were panels made of woven hazel poles. Hazel nuts are the favoured diet of dormice, but grey squirrels often get them first.
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Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastenum)
Big red sticky buds in winter are the main clue that you are looking at a horse chestnut. You will also notice the upward curl of bare twigs. They were only introduced to Britain in the late 16th century, primarily as an ornamental species along avenues or in parks. Its timber is light and of little economic value.
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