About

This linear woodland alongside the River Ithon consists of two stand types; wet alder and ash over a hazel understorey. The ground layer consists of extensive areas of bluebells with dog's mercury, red campion, yellow archangel and greater stitchwort. The wood is an important location for early purple orchids, and contains orpine and hairy St John's wort, both scarce in Radnorshire, and the grass lesser hairy brome. In the wetter areas kingcup, and both opposite-leaved and alternate-leaved golden saxifrage are found.

Birds are well represented with over 40 breeding species. Pied flycatcher, redstart, great and lesser-spotted woodpecker, and warblers including willow warbler, chiffchaff, wood warbler, blackcap, and garden warbler breed in summer along with bullfinch, buzzard, spotted flycatcher and marsh and willow tit. Woodcock winter in the wood and grey wagtail, sand martin (in summer) and dipper are commonly found on the adjacent river, where kingfisher, pied flycatcher. and goosander may also be seen.

The woodland is rich in lower plants, lichens, mosses and liverworts. Insect species include important beetle communities, with all three British cardinal beetles, and the snail-killing ground beetle Cychrus caraboides found on the reserve. Butterflies include orange tip and ringlet. Along the river dragonflies and damselflies are common, including the beautiful and the white-legged damselfly. Mammals include Daubenton's bats and otter, spraints often being found near Shaky Bridge.