Beaulieu Heights is perched on a slope which runs from Church Road down to Auckland Rise. The ancient section of the woodland on site, known as Windalls Coppice, was part of the Great North Wood but more recently has been incorporated by the grounds of two large houses, Hazelwood and Beaulieu Lodge.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Beaulieu Heights
Borough: Croydon
Grade: Borough Grade II
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 6.79 ha
Description
Wildlife
The upper part of this site is wooded with oak and many exotic species. At ground-level woodland wildflowers include a fine show of bluebells. The wood supports all three woodpecker species, nuthatch, sparrowhawk and tawny owl. The rare firecrest is often seen here, at one of its most regular sites in London. Even rarer, a red-breasted flycatcher paid a brief visit one autumn in the 1990s. The purple hairstreak butterfly may also be seen in the wood, high up amongst the oak foliage in late July. The woodland slopes down to more formalised parkland, where there is an old 'seepage' line and the site of an old pond.Facilities
Toilets
Purple hairstreak butterfly © Stephen Frank
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