Local Wildlife Site

Wildlife

Mature ash and field maple and some magnificent old pedunculate oaks emerge from the hedges. These are composed of beech, hornbeam, wild cherry, blackthorn, silver birch, hazel, willows, holly, elder, roses and common and Midland hawthorns. The diversity of plants at the hedge bottom is dominated by cow parsley, with bluebell, dog's mercury, hedge bedstraw and greater burnet-saxifrage, the latter a rare species in London. The ditches support wetland plants including water figwort, wild angelica and rushes. The woodland is probably ancient. It has a canopy of oak and ash over lower-level trees which include crab apple, Midland hawthorn, hazel and holly. Bluebell and common dog-violet grow at ground level. The woodland and hedges support a good range of nesting birds, including sparrowhawk, willow warbler and stock dove. Muntjac deer are frequently seen. The fields on either side of Arkley Lane are a fine example of traditional countryside. They are divided by thick hedges with emergent mature oak and ash trees. There are also a few small patches of scrub. Some are grazed by horses, while others are managed as hay meadows. Most of these fields support a limited range of common grasses and wild flowers but three are much richer, having escaped agricultural improvement. These support wild flowers typical of old grassland, such as sneezewort, pignut, oval sedge and greater burnet-saxifrage. Damp areas around a former stream bed include additional species such as ragged-robin and square-stalked St John's-wort.

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