Gallery

Research has concluded that thousands of years ago virtually the whole of Britain was covered by woodland. Only one tenth remains; the remainder has succumbed to increasing population and both the agricultural and technological revolutions. A massive four hundred and fifty thousand acres was felled to support the two world war efforts of the last century.

It is widely recognised that the saving of the tropical rain forest is of vital importance to the planet because it acts to absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and also generates oxygen. This is true of woodland generally. Air is fresher in woodland as a result of increased oxygen.

The richest ground flora occurs on the stream banks along the north-eastern edge of the wood, an adjacent area of wet alder woodland and the track edges. These areas contain a range of species typical of damp ancient woodland, including yellow pimpernel, opposite leaved golden-saxifrage, enchanter’s nightshade, remote sedge, wood sedge, wood anemone, wild angelica and sanicle. The largest area of alder woodland also contains abundant great horsetail, which is uncommon in this part of Leicestershire.

At the centre of this area is a man-made pond, which is just beginning to be colonised by migration vegetation, including soft rush, angelica, greater bird’s-foot trefoil and marsh bed straw. The surrounding banks have been planted with tree species such as birch, alder, goat willow, Scots pine and larch. This merges with the more established birch, oak and larch woodland of the surrounding area.