Old Park Wood is a sizeable and very varied woodland. It is mostly ancient, with a good range of tree species, thanks to variations in the soils and drainage of the land it occupies. A woodland pond adds to the diversity of the habitats. The site is owned and managed by the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust as a Local Nature Reserve. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Old Park Wood
Borough: Hillingdon
Grade: Metropolitan
Access: No public access
Area: 24.04 ha
Description
Wildlife
The site is something of a botanist's paradise, being exceptionally rich in woodland wildflowers. Particularly beautiful and eye-catching are the spring flowers, which include sheets of bluebells, yellow archangel, lesser celandine and wood anemone. There are also many locally uncommon plants present, including London rarities opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage, southern woodrush, thin-spiked wood-sedge and early-purple orchid. The wood's most famous speciality is the nationally scarce coralroot bittercress, a striking wildflower more-or-less confined to the Chiltern hills and the eastern Weald.The wood is also rich in insects and the pond supports dragonflies and amphibians. The woodland bird population includes all three British woodpecker species and nuthatch.Facilities
Information (on signs)
Coralroot bittercress © Mike Waite
View of Old Park Wood © Stuart Colgate
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