Woodland
trails  |
Castle Eden Dene Nature Reserve is known as "the
jungle of the North" with its expansive woodlands. It's the largest area
of semi-natural woodland in the North East of England with a great diversity of
micro climates and habitats. | | Castle
Dene - woodland experience with wild walks |
 Castle
Eden Dene boasts quite literally hundreds of trees, flowers and insects, with
over 450 species.
The reserve spans over 200 hectares of woodland and lowland
grassland, carpeting the landscape carved out by post-glacial melt waters thousands
of years ago. It's the largest area of natural woodland in the North East
and is renowned for its many ancient trees, which line the beautiful limestone
gorge in which the nature reserve is situated. The dene vegetation is typical
of the wild wood which once covered most of Britain, and remains relatively untouched
due to the largely inaccessible gorge in which it grows. The reserve spans
over four miles from the visitor centre through the gorge and eventually down
to the sea, providing a wide range of habitats and making it a wildlife watchers'
dream day out. Insect spotting  Just
a few yards from the visitor centre is a man-made pond, where you can spot Dragonflies
skimming the surface.
Also look for small amphibians, include the UK's smallest
newt, the Palmate, roaming around beneath the pond's surface. Summer is
great for spotting insects - the hot weather helps more flowers to bloom, all
full of nectar to feed the various species of creepy crawlies which live in the
dene. The summer season also brings out the wasps, but don't worry if you
think you've spotted one hovering around your picnic - it might be a Hoverfly
instead. These little creatures don't sting but thousands of them thrive
at Castle Eden Dene because they mimic the bright colours of bees and wasps, warding
off potential predators. When you go down to the
woods…  Visitors
to Castle Eden can enjoy guided walks through the woodland to the bottom of the
gorge, taking in the many different plants and wildlife on the way.
Hazel,
Guelder Rose, Spindle, Privet and Dogwood make up the vast undergrowth, and they
produce colourful nuts and berries. The berries are picked off by the many
woodland birds which live in the Dene, including Nuthatch, Marsh Tit, Green Woodpecker,
Waxwings, Crossbill, Yellowhammers, Brambling and Fieldfares. But it's the
trees in the Dene which are of the most interest - the ancient Elms, Yews and
Beech trees which pepper the gorge have been living here for generations. Some
have been killed off by honey fungus but the dead wood now provides an ideal habitat
for many different insects including beetles, woodlice and wasps. Don't
be surprised to find fallen trees blocking some of the footpaths for this very
reason - these might be home to the Blomer's Rivulet Moth, which feeds exclusively
on Elm trees and is a nationally rare species. Woodland
flowers  The
woodland floor is often scattered with many different flowers, including Primrose,
Herb Paris, Wood Anenome and Ransoms, a cousin of the garlic family which gives
off a similar aroma.
The Bird's-Nest-Orchid is another interesting plant,
and is so named due to its tangled, fleshy roots which sit on the ground like
a typical avian nest. It's also easy to spot Lily-of-the-Valley, which is
something of a treat as this is often cultivated but rarely grows naturally in
the wild. With its white flowers and sweet scent during the summer months
of May and June, it's tempting to touch, but all parts of the plant are actually
highly poisonous. While walking through the woodland area visitors are advised
to remain quiet, and if you're lucky you may even spot a Badger, Fox or deer among
the trees. The Dene is also home to a number of Britain's native Red Squirrels. Sea
in sight  As
you reach the eastern end of the reserve where the woodland meets the sea, there's
a big surprise in store.
As the wood starts to thin out the view slowly
changes from a canopy of trees to a carpet of flowers, with species including
Birds-Foot Trefoil, Clover, Bloody Cranesbill, Knapweed and Giant Bellflower. And
if you look closely, you might even see a Northern Brown Argus butterfly nestling
on a colourful petal. One of the rarest butterflies in the UK, the Argus
is often found in limestone country across Scotland and Northern England - its
caterpillars feed on Rockrose, a plant which favours limestone areas. Another
interesting plant found in the Dene is the Giant Horsetail, which stands at about
a metre high, which may seem large but not when compared with the size of its
ancestors. Three hundred and fifty million years ago, when the formation
of the gorge was just beginning, these plants would have been up to 30 metres
high and a metre wide. Photo credits  Photographs
by Sue Wilkinson.
Butterfly and Wood Anemone
copyright and permission of Natural England and Peter Wakely. | 
