Dee Park Community Woodland
A Haven for Nature
Dee Park offers a rich variety of habitats that support diverse wildlife. Located in the town of Shotton, along the River Dee Estuary and the Wales Coastal Path, it provides a welcoming and inviting space for visitors to explore and enjoy. The park’s woodlands provide a peaceful retreat, home to a variety of birds, insects, and small mammals. These wooded areas offer trails for visitors to explore and enjoy the calming atmosphere of nature. The meadows and grasslands are bursting with wildflowers and grasses, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. These areas are not only visually stunning, but also vital for local biodiversity, offering shelter and food for a wide range of species.
The pond in Dee Park is another key feature, with its tranquil waters surrounded by reeds and plants. This area supports aquatic life and provides an important habitat for frogs, dragonflies, and other creatures. Mallard ducks are regular visitors, along with herons and the occasional egret. There have even been reports of a kingfisher!
At Dee Park, we’re fortunate to have a dedicated team of Rangers who work hard to protect and care for the park. Supported by an incredible network of volunteers and the local community, we’re all united in our mission to preserve wildlife, enhance habitats, and create a welcoming space for everyone. By collaborating with schools, local organisations, and individuals, we engage the community in hands-on activities that make a real difference.
Explore Dee Park Through Our Interpretation Panels
Three new interpretation panels can now be found throughout Dee Park. Each panel provides information about a different part of the park and the wildlife that lives there. Designed to be engaging for all ages, the panels are a fun way to explore as you walk through the park.
Follow the paths round the park to find each panel, scan the QR code that links back to the website—making your visit to Dee Park even more exciting and informative. As you explore, you’ll learn about the variety of habitats, spot signs of wildlife, and gain a deeper appreciation for the natural world.
Our Ponds and Wetlands
Wetlands are one of the most threatened habitats in the UK, with over 90% lost in the past 100 years. Dee Park’s seasonal pond is an important wildlife habitat. Fish cannot survive in ponds that dry out, but amphibians like frogs, newts, and toads thrive, visiting in Spring to breed. To attract them, we are enhancing pond edges with marginal plants like yellow flag iris, marsh marigold, and loosestrife. Since the pond was created in 2022, wildlife such as mallards, herons, egrets, and even a kingfisher have been spotted visiting.
Meadow
Much of Dee Park is open grassland, but not all areas are the same. Former playing fields have rich soil supporting vigorous grasses and species like dock, nettle, and thistle, while other areas have been left to grow into flower-rich meadows, attracting butterflies, hoverflies, and other insects. The park is also home to common lizards, which bask on logs, stones, and mown edges, and occasional sightings of grass snakes. To support reptiles, we leave piles of grass cuttings and logs for shelter, basking, and egg-laying.
Woodland
Trees are a vital part of Dee Park, supporting wildlife and helping combat climate change. Dee Park gained National Forest for Wales status in 2023 becoming the first in the North East of Wales. Across the park, we’ve planted thousands of young trees to extend existing woodland and create wildlife corridors. Dee Park is home to badgers, whose setts and runs can be seen in the wooded areas. Their plentiful diet of mice, voles, invertebrates, seeds, and berries makes the park ideal habitat for them. Often runs can be seen of other animals leading to and from the woodland areas.
Sculpture Trail
The Family Sculpture Trail is one of Dee Park’s most exciting attractions – a playful mix of art, wildlife, and adventure. As you wander through the park, keep your eyes peeled for a series of beautiful sculptures, created using two very different techniques of willow weaving and chainsaw carving.
Altogether there are nine sculptures across the park. Each sculpture represents an animal who lives in Dee Park. Some are hidden amongst the trees, others tucked near the pond or along meadow paths. The trail takes you through our park’s rich habitats: Woodland – where birds nest and squirrels leap through the canopy, Pond – alive with dragonflies, and water beetles, Meadow – buzzing with pollinators in summer, Grassland – a haven for ground-nesting birds and wildflowers.
Whether you’re here for a gentle walk, a family day out, or to learn more about local wildlife, the Family Sculpture Trail is the perfect way to enjoy Dee Park together.
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