Overhall Grove
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Once the site of a medieval manor and now home to badgers and beetles |
Overhall Grove is the largest elm woodland in Cambridgeshire. The elms invaded after traditional management for woodland products declined in the early 1900s. They have been badly affected by Dutch elm disease, but many have regenerated from the base and the mixture of dead wood and new growth is excellent habitat for insects and birds.
In spring, the wood is full of songbirds such as willow and garden warblers and song thrushes, and scattered in some areas are splendid rosettes of oxlip. The wood also contains several large oak trees which are over 250 years old.
The remains of a medieval manor surrounded by a moat can still be seen in the northern end of the wood, which is now home to a family of badgers. Their digging has unearthed shards of pottery, which date the manor back to the 11th to 15th centuries.
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Plants: Bluebell, oxlip, goldilocks buttercup, twayblade Birds: Linnet, bullfinch, woodpecker, nuthatch, song thrush |
Plants: Herb-robert, crosswort Birds: Willow warbler, garden warbler, blackcap, whitethroat, spotted flycatcher |
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