|
|
|
Hertfordshire has some of the best woodland in south-eastern
Britain. About 10% of the County is wooded of which around
36-40% is regarded as "ancient", that is, having
existed since at least 1600, such as Wormley Wood, now a National
Nature Reserve run by the Woodland Trust.
Further information on woodlands and veteran trees is available
from www.woodland-trust.org.uk.
and www.tree-register.org
|
|
|
| Many of Hertfordshire's
woods were originally grazed commons, like this one at Ashridge.
Old trees often survive in such places, usually as pollards,
formerly cut at head height for firewood. These are now regarded
as 'veteran trees', and can be important for rare insects and
other wildlife: Woodland flowers often only survive well in
ancient woodlands. |
 |
| Many small copses in
Hertfordshire are very old, often dating from Saxon times (650AD-1066).
The cutting of firewood gave many a rich flora, with plants
like the primrose, violets and wood anemone. Such woods were
often called 'Springs', from the growth sprouting from cut stumps
every time the coppice was cut. |
|
|
| The native bluebell,
in Hertfordshire at least, is one of the best 'indicator species'
of ancient woodland, sometimes surviving in old hedges which
surrounded a wood now long-since gone. It is also one of few
species for which Britain is the world stronghold. Further information
on Britains plants is available through the gateway of the National
Biodiversity Network on www.nbn.org.uk. |
|
|
| A wide range of familiar
birds are really birds of woods. The jay, the most colourful
of the crows, is one of these, mainly nesting in tall bushes
in open woodland. Its habit of carrying away acorns to feed
on can result in the oak tree colonising open ground nearby.
|
 |
|
Many woodland birds have declined sharply in the last 50
years. The nightingale's preferred habitat is dense thickets,
especially in or by coppice woods, or by wooded streams. It
has declined with the loss of traditional woodland management
and is now only found in a handful of sites in Hertfordshire.
To learn more about Hertfordshire's birds visit the
Herts Bird Club web site.
|
 |
|
Some of the oldest badger setts in Hertfordshire are in woodlands,
although the animals may forage in fields some distance away.
Their paths can be a clue to their presence, especially where
they go under fences, because the badger's tell-tale black
and white hairs often get snagged on barbed wire.
Find out about Hertfordshires badgers on www.hmbadgergroup.org.uk.
|
 |
|
The nocturnal dormouse has declined in Hertfordshire because
of the lack of management of hazel coppice, and the overgrowth
of hedges round woods. It specially likes tangles of honeysuckle
and brambles, where its old round grass nests, decorated with
leaves, can sometimes be found in winter, especially in sunny
spots.
For further mammal information look at the Mammal Society
web site at www.mammal.org.uk
or try the identification guide on the British Naturalists
Web Site on www.bna-naturalists.org
|
|
|
|
Of the 16 British bats, 11 occur in Hertfordshire. The declining
noctule requires tree holes for roosting. One of the largest
British bats, it is usually first to appear at dusk, flying
high over tree tops, occasionally swopping down to catch insects.
Further information on bats is available at the Hertfordshire's
Bat group web site and Bat Conservation Trust web site
on www.bats.org.uk.
|
|
|
| Although normally thought
of as a woodland species, the stag beetle, the largest beetle
in Britain, is more often found in Hertfordshire in rotten trees
around towns, especially in the Lea Valley. The 'pincers' of
the male which give it its name are in fact modified jaws. Nationally,
The Peoples Trust for Endangered Species (PTES)are investigating
its current status and conservation needs.Contact the PTES on
www.ptes.org.uk for more information. |
|
|
|
One of the few truly woodland butterflies which has done
quite well in recent years, the white admiral needs flowering
honeysuckle to lay its eggs on. From being almost extinct
in the 1970's, it has made a bit of a come-back and is now
scattered in Hertfordshire's larger woods.
Further information on butterflys is available from the
Butterfly Conservation
web site.
|
|
|
| Hertfordshire's woodlands
are home to its greatest diversity of fungi. The extraordinary
porcelain fungus, with the evocative scientific name of Oudemansiella
mucida, is just one, dependent on old, rotting trees, especially
beeches in the Ashridge area. The leaf-litter and dead wood
of Hertfordshire's wooded commons are particularly species-rich.
View the British Mycological web
site for further information. |
|
|
