Beechwoods
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A small wood of majestic beeches, sitting on a chalk ridge above Cambridge |
The Beechwoods were planted on arable land in the 1840s. Medieval plough terraces are still visible beneath the trees. Delicate white helleborines thrive on the dry chalky soil, pushing up their flowering spikes in the spring before the budding beech-leaves can cast their deep cool shade. These orchids are usually found under beech, and this nature reserve is one of their most northerly outposts.
The original beech trees are all mature, and beech-bark fungus combined with autumn gales have caused many of them to fall in recent years. Saplings have sprung up in the gaps, and the wood is now developing a more varied structure. West of the old wood, local people planted a new area of broad-leaved trees in 1992. Because this area has a greater variety of trees it will mature to provide a range of habitats to complement the old beech wood.
In years with a good beech-mast crop, large flocks of bramblings gather to exploit the rich food source.
Birds: Brambling |
Plants: White helleborine Birds: Great spotted woodpecker |
Plants: Hawkweeds Insects: Hoverflies Birds: Green woodpecker, nuthatch, spotted flycatcher |
Fungi: Woodland fungi Plants: Beech trees in autumn colour |