Paradise and Skaters' Meadow
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A wet wood on the banks of the Cam, with a nearby wet meadow full of flowers |
Paradise is a wet woodland, nestling on the river Cam close to the centre of Cambridge. The Trust manages the sedge bed close to the car park. The wood harbours a wide variety of willow species, and many hybrids. Stems that fall over, root in the wet ground forming a characteristic dense ‘carr’, a perfect cover for many birds. The sheltered sedge bed provides excellent habitat for hunting dragonflies.
Skaters’ Meadow was flooded for ice skating in the 19th century, when our winters were colder. You can still see the iron lamp-post in the centre. Today the small field is wet and provides ideal conditions for a highly diverse flora. In spring the large blossoms of marsh-marigold are a blaze of yellow, with the delicate pink flowers of ragged robin scattered among them. As summer approaches, southern marsh orchids push up spikes of beautiful pink flowers.
Plants: Alder, willow and hazel catkins |
Plants: Marsh-marigold, early marsh-orchid, ragged-robin, sedges Birds: Blackcap |
Plants: Fen bedstraw, tubuler water-dropwort, meadowsweet Insects: Dragonflies, damselflies Reptiles: Grass snake Birds: Kingfisher |
Plants: Trees in autumn colour |