Ceunant Llennyrch National Nature Reserve facts for kids
Ceunant Llennyrch National Nature Reserve is a special woodland area in Gwynedd, Wales. It's located in the Vale of Ffestiniog, stretching from Llyn Trawsfynydd to the River Dwyryd. You can find it close to the village of Maentwrog.
This reserve covers a large forest that grows along a very steep gorge. Through this gorge, the Afon Prysor flows with many waterfalls. At one point, the river is surrounded by cliffs that are about one hundred feet (30 m) high and only 10 metres (33 feet) apart! The constant mist from the waterfalls makes the air very humid. This creates a perfect home for many plants that love damp conditions.
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What is Ceunant Llennyrch?
A Special Forest with a Long History
In December 2015, this amazing forest, which is about 550-acre (220 ha) big, was bought by The Woodland Trust for £1 million. This woodland has been here for a very long time, ever since the last Ice Age. It's so old and deep that some parts of it are thought to be completely untouched by humans.
Plants and Animals of the Reserve
A Damp Home for Unique Plants
The forest at Ceunant Llennyrch is very damp. This makes it a fantastic place for many different types of plants to grow. You can find over 200 kinds of liverworts here. There are also many forms of moss and lichen.
The trees in the reserve include sessile oaks, as well as beech, rowan, and silver birch. Some special lichens, like Graphina ruiziana and Parmeliella horrescens, grow on these birch trees. However, because it's so shady and damp, not many flowering plants can grow here.
Wildlife Thriving in the Woodland
The animals in this woodland are also doing very well. Many small mammals live near the river, such as the wood mouse, otter, and bank vole. Otters sometimes have trouble finding enough fish to eat because the river water is a bit acidic, which means fish don't thrive here.
You can often spot many birds too. Woodpeckers, redstarts, and European pied flycatchers are some of the most common birds you'll see. For predators, the mice and voles are easy meals for a buzzard, which are often seen flying overhead.
