Briddlesford Nature Reserve facts for kids

Briddlesford Nature Reserve (also called Briddlesford Woods Nature Reserve) is a special place on the Isle of Wight. It covers about 158 hectares (that's like 390 football fields!). This reserve has many different types of natural areas, called habitats. You can find woodlands, farms, grassy meadows, ponds, and even marshy areas here.

Most of the reserve is part of something called the Briddlesford Copses Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). These are important titles that show how special the area is for nature. The reserve is owned by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). They work hard to protect and improve the amazing variety of life, or biodiversity, found here.

Plants of Briddlesford

Woodland Plants

Experts studied the plants in the woodland in 2007. They found that the woods have a fantastic collection of plants, especially those found in "lowland mixed Atlantic bluebell woods." They said the woodland plants here are among the richest in all of England!

More than 65 types of plants that show a woodland is very old (called Ancient Woodland Indicator plants) have been found.

One very special plant is the narrow-leaved lungwort (Pulmonaria longifolia). This plant is super rare in Britain. It only grows in old woodlands near the Solent coast and its rivers. Other rare woodland plants found here include the green hellebore (Helleborus viridis), the greater butterfly orchid (Platanthera chlorantha), and the thin spiked wood sedge (Carex strigosa).

Animals of Briddlesford

Mammals

The woodlands in Briddlesford Nature Reserve are very important for animals. They were named a SAC in 1995. This was because of the huge number of Bechstein's bats that live and breed there. These bats are very rare!

Another rare bat, the barbastelle bat, also breeds in these woods. In total, eight different types of bats have been seen here. These bats often use holes made by woodpeckers and cracks in old ash trees to live.

The woods are also home to hazel dormice and red squirrels. Together with the bats, these mammals make Briddlesford unique in the UK. The dormice have been watched closely since 1996. Over 530 special nest boxes are set up to collect information. This data helps scientists understand dormice better and manage the woodlands to protect them.

Insects and Other Small Creatures

Scientists have also studied the small creatures, called invertebrates, in the reserve. They did surveys in 2002 and 2012. They found a huge variety of invertebrates, especially those that live in old woodlands. About 650 different species have been identified!

The reserve is so important for these creatures that it's considered a SSSI for "saproxylic invertebrates." These are special creatures that live in or on dead wood.

One very interesting find is a rare fungus weevil called Pseudeuparius sepicola. This insect is so rare it's on the Red Data Book list. The nationally scarce wood-cricket Nemobius sylvestris is also very common here. Scientists also recently found a population of the ash-black slug (Limax cinereoniger). This is the largest land slug in the world!

The open paths and old railway lines in the reserve are great places for butterflies. You might see the silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia), the white admiral (Limenitis camilla), and the dark crimson underwing moth (Catocala sponsa).

Woodland Areas (Copses)

The Briddlesford Nature Reserve includes several different woodland areas, known as copses:

• Briddlesford Copse
• Little Lynn Common
• Great Lynn Common
• Gunsight
• Moor Wood
• Sheepwash
• Sandpit
• Big Wood
• Dunnage
• Stockers Hole
• Great Wood
• Six Acre
• Hurst Copse
• Vicarage

Visiting the Reserve

You can explore parts of Briddlesford Nature Reserve! There is a bridleway that goes through the reserve. Also, you can walk in the parkland and Hurst Copse, as they have special permission for public access.