Our natural environment

See the Luton Orchards website.

River Lea

The River Lea is integral to the town of Luton and the reason for its existence. The source of the River Lea is found in Leagrave Park, by the ancient earthwork of Waulud’s Bank, created because of its location by the source. The water level is lower than it used to be but still plays an important role in wildlife in the town. Kingfishers and common egrets can be seen fishing along the stretch of the river.

We've published a guide to Upper Lea Valley walks.

Watch a series of YouTube videos, created by the late Dr Trevor Tween. Trevor was our ecology and landscapes officer. In the videos, he talks about the importance and beauty of the River Lea in our town.

Chalk Hills

Luton is situated on the north-eastern boundary of the Chiltern Hills, which is a national landscape. Chalk ‘downland’ is derived from the old word ‘dun’ meaning ‘hill’.

Chalk downland is an incredibly biodiverse habitat and has been called the ‘miniature rainforest’ because of the huge number of different plants growing in a small area.

In summer, these areas are home to many orchids, butterflies and invertebrates. In autumn and winter, the berries on the scattered trees and shrubs provide food for migratory birds.

We manage our hills to allow rare plants to thrive in location such as Galley and Warden or Dallow and Winsdon Hills. We do this by:

• grazing cattle in the autumn and winter
• mowing the land and removing cuttings, helping it to stay nutrient-poor

Watch a series of YouTube videos, created by the late Dr Trevor Tween. Trevor was our ecology and landscapes officer. In the videos, he talks about the importance and beauty of the chalk hills in our town.

Woodland and forest

We own woodland in the borough including:

• Bluebell Wood
• Kidney Wood
• Hay Wood
• Runley Wood on Dallow Downs

These areas of land are looked after by nature conservation staff.

The most important woods in Luton are Bramingham Wood and Slaughters Wood. We do not own these woods. Bramingham Wood is owned and managed by the Woodland Trust.

However, ours Parks and Countryside service carries out some management in the smaller woods such as Bluebell Wood, Hay Wood and Runley Wood on the Dallow Downs.These smaller woods in the Luton area are typical examples of Chiltern Hilltop woods.

Luton’s woodland is important because of the bluebell populations and a range of tree species. Some of our volunteer activities are focused in the woodland and help to preserve the important ground flora.