Friends of Marshall's Arm Local Nature Reserve

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Friends of Marshall's Arm Local Nature Reserve Marshall's Arm is the name used to describe a looping section of the old River Weaver in Hartford, Cheshire.

The surrounding area has long been a haven for wildlife and it was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 1998 for people and nature.

In response to the question of “where is Marshall’s Arm Local Nature Reserve?Here is a map.Easy access from the end of S...
30/03/2026

In response to the question of “where is Marshall’s Arm Local Nature Reserve?
Here is a map.

Easy access from the end of Stones Manor Lane in Hartford, Saxons Lane in Greenbank, or from along the riverbank from the Blue Bridge.

Almost time to admire the blue carpet.Get down to Marshall’s Arm in the next few weeks to experience one of the best dis...
30/03/2026

Almost time to admire the blue carpet.

Get down to Marshall’s Arm in the next few weeks to experience one of the best displays of English Bluebells in Cheshire.

The bluebell is, perhaps, one of our most famous and unmistakeable woodland flowers. It spends most of the year as bulb underground in ancient woodlands, but from April onwards it emerges to provide a wonderful treat for the eyes and the nose.

The early flowering allows it to make the most of the sunlight that is still able to make it to the forest floor habitat, before the canopy becomes too dense.

If you do visit, please take only photographs as it is illegal to dig or uproot wild English bluebells from the countryside.
We also ask that you also avoid picking them, as they are a protected species . As they can take years to recover from being trampled on, please admire them from the pathways.

We would love to see any photos you take posted on our “Friends of Marshall’s Arm page.

Not to be confused with the Marsh Marigolds.Swathes of Lesser Celandines (another of the buttercup family) are currently...
26/03/2026

Not to be confused with the Marsh Marigolds.

Swathes of Lesser Celandines (another of the buttercup family) are currently in full bloom.

Bizarrely, Lesser Celandines are also known a Pilewort because they have historically used to treat haemorrhoids (piles).
This was based on the fact that the knobbly tubers under the ground were thought to resemble piles.

It was also once thought that you could use these plants to predict the weather as they close their petals before raindrops!

Immortalised by William Wordsworth in his poem The Small Celandine.

There is a flower, the lesser celandine,
That shrinks, like many more, from cold and rain;
And, the first moment that the sun may shine,
Bright as the sun himself, ‘‘tis out again.

Enjoy

If you go down to the woods today ……. enjoy the marsh marigolds that have come into bloom in the swampy depression about...
22/03/2026

If you go down to the woods today ……. enjoy the marsh marigolds that have come into bloom in the swampy depression about halfway down the main path.

Officially caltha palustris ( goblet of the marsh) - which gives rise to their other common name of Kingcup.

Marigold seems to derive from its use in medieval churches at Easter as a tribute to the Virgin Mary (as in Mary Gold!)

Enjoy.

If you go down to the woods today ….., you’ll see a superb display of wood anemones.This extensive coverage is a clear i...
20/03/2026

If you go down to the woods today ….., you’ll see a superb display of wood anemones.
This extensive coverage is a clear indicator that Marshall’s Arm is an area of ancient woodland.
The wood anemone spreads by rhizomes - horizontal underground stems - which only expand at the rate of about 6 feet every hundred years!
It is one of the first flowers of spring, forming a carpet of stars on the woodland floor, taking advantage of the light before the tree foliage appears.

It has the common name of “windflower” due to the fact that even in the slightest breeze the flowers vibrate very slightly.

Enjoy

A poetic moment during today’s blue sky Spring Quest Walk!
14/03/2026

A poetic moment during today’s blue sky Spring Quest Walk!

Anyone lostA traffic cone ?A dustbin lid ?A 6ft by 5ft plastic shed base ?3 bags of assorted rubbish ?All recovered from...
09/03/2026

Anyone lost
A traffic cone ?
A dustbin lid ?
A 6ft by 5ft plastic shed base ?
3 bags of assorted rubbish ?

All recovered from remote and inaccessible parts of the Nature Reserve today.
The volunteers who cleared up the mess are always astounded how far people will carry items from a public road access to dump them.

100 Species and countingIn the Summer of 2025 a project was launched to record the enormous diversity of species within ...
12/02/2026

100 Species and counting

In the Summer of 2025 a project was launched to record the enormous diversity of species within the reserve.
Visitors are encouraged to take photos of any birds, mammals, plants, trees, insects, fungi that they see on their visits to the reserve and log them onto an App called iNaturalist.

This month we reached an important milestone in that project with the recording of our 100th species.

You don’t have to be a naturalist to get involved in this citizen science project - the system will identify any observations that you make. So download the app, get snapping and help us get to the next milestone of 150 species.

Today some of the volunteers were in wellies and waders, working on the pond that surrounds an area known as “The Mousey...
02/02/2026

Today some of the volunteers were in wellies and waders, working on the pond that surrounds an area known as “The Mousey”. Before the Weaver Navigation was created, and the old meandering course of the River Weaver was cut off, this pond would have followed the original course of the river. Having previously been open water, the area is now quite overgrown. The volunteers’ mission today was to cut back willow that has grown in the pond. Allowing more light into the pond will allow the phragmites (reeds) to grow. This work will also create a larger area of open water, because all the willow is currently sucking the pond dry. Of course, for those who don’t want to get too wet, there’s always litter picking to be done too!

12/01/2026

Tim Kirwin explains what the Marshall’s Arm volunteers have been working on today.

The volunteers have been busy looking after Marshall’s Arm today. Our tasks included litter picking, cutting back brambl...
12/01/2026

The volunteers have been busy looking after Marshall’s Arm today. Our tasks included litter picking, cutting back brambles, scything in one of the meadow areas and felling a small number of trees. Drop us a message if you would like to know more about the Reserve, or the work we do on our volunteer days.

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Marshall's Arm Local Nature Reserve

6FWF+2MNORTHWICH

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