Wistow Wood
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Multi-stemmed old ash trees and scarce butterflies are among the hidden delights of this small woodland |
The wood contains evidence of a long history of traditional management. Numerous old ash stools with several stems indicate the past practice of coppicing, where trees were cut at ground level to take a crop of wood and stumps were left to re-grow. Most of the mature trees were removed before the 1920s, but since then the wood has been left to regenerate. The old stools provide a marvellous habitat for mosses and lichens, fungi and insects.
During spring the woodland floor abounds with dog’s mercury, bluebells, wood anemones and primroses. The woodland rides also have an interesting summer flora, with meadow sweet and ragged robin as well as a variety of grasses and sedges.
This is one of a few sites in Cambridgeshire where a rare woodland butterfly, the black hairstreak, has been recorded. You may see one around the blackthorn on the edge of the wood, while the related purple hairstreak may be spotted flitting along the tops of oak trees.
Birds: Tits and finches |
Plants: Primrose, bluebell, dog’s mercury, wood anemone Birds: Garden warbler, blackcap, chiffchaff |
Plants: Ragged-robin, meadowsweet Insects: Black hairstreak and speckled wood butterflies |
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