Longleat Woods
British Forest
51°11′25″N 2°17′41″W / 51.19035°N 2.29472°W / 51.19035; -2.29472
Longleat Woods (grid reference ST795435) is a 249.9 hectare (617.4 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Frome in Somerset, notified in 1972.
This site includes the Ashen Copse Nature Conservation Review site. This site is a large, ancient, semi-natural, broadleaved woodland with a predominantly high forest structure which is unusual in South West Britain. Over the majority of the site, where soils are poorly drained but not waterlogged, the major canopy-forming tree is pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), with ash (Fraxinus excelsior) being locally common and distributed throughout. Hazel (Corylus avellana) is the commonest shrub and occurs throughout. Many plant species normally found only in ancient woodlands occur, including broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) and wood small-reed (Calamagrostis epigejos). One of the largest plantations of coast redwoods (sequoia sempervirens) in Britain is also located here, mostly within the grounds of Center Parcs Longleat. These grounds are also home to the U.K.'s tallest giant redwood (sequoiadendron giganteum).[1]
The breeding bird community includes woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), tree pipit (Anthus trivialis), wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), common buzzard (Buteo buteo), tawny owl (Strix aluco), greater spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor) and European green woodpecker (Picus viridis). The breeding invertebrates include white admiral (Ladoga camilla), silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia) and small pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria selene) butterflies and hornets (Vespa crabro). [2]
References
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- Aller and Beer Woods
- Aller Hill
- Asham Wood
- Axbridge Hill and Fry's Hill
- Babcary Meadows
- Barle Valley
- Barrington Hill Meadows
- Berrow Dunes
- Black Down and Sampford Commons
- Brean Down
- Bridgwater Bay
- Briggins Moor
- Catcott, Edington and Chilton Moors
- Chancellor's Farm
- Cheddar Complex
- Cheddar Reservoir
- Cheddar Wood
- Cleeve Hill
- Cogley Wood
- Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill
- Curry and Hay Moors
- Deadman
- Draycott Sleights
- Dunster Park and Heathlands
- East Polden Grasslands
- Ebbor Gorge
- Edford Woods and Meadows
- Exmoor Coastal Heaths
- Fivehead Woods and Meadow
- Freshmoor
- Friar's Oven
- Ge-mare Farm Fields
- Great Breach and Copley Woods
- Grove Farm
- Hardington Moor
- Hestercombe House
- Holme Moor & Clean Moor
- King's Sedgemoor
- Kingdown and Middledown
- Kingweston Meadows
- Lang's Farm
- Langford Heathfield
- Langmead and Weston Level
- Long Lye
- Long Lye Meadow
- Longleat Woods
- Millwater
- Moorlinch
- Nettlecombe Park
- North Brewham Meadows
- North Curry Meadow
- North Exmoor
- North Moor
- Old Iron Works, Mells
- Perch
- Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh
- Postlebury Wood
- Priddy Pools
- Prior's Park & Adcombe Wood
- Quantock Hills
- Quants
- Ringdown
- River Barle
- Rodney Stoke
- Roebuck Meadows
- Ruttersleigh
- Severn Estuary
- Shapwick Heath
- Sharpham Moor Plot
- South Exmoor
- Southey and Gotleigh Moors
- Southlake Moor
- Sparkford Wood
- St. Dunstan's Well Catchment
- Stowell Meadow
- Street Heath
- Tealham and Tadham Moors
- Thurlbear Wood and Quarrylands
- Twinhills Woods and Meadows
- Vallis Vale
- Walton and Ivythorn Hills
- West Moor
- West Sedgemoor
- Westhay Heath
- Westhay Moor
- Wet Moor
- Whitevine Meadows
- Windsor Hill Marsh
- Wookey Hole
- Woolhayes Farm
- Neighbouring areas
- Avon
- Devon
- Dorset
- Wiltshire
