Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 |
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| Area of Search | Berkshire |
|---|---|
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 17.7 hectares (44 acres) |
| Notification | 1993 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods is a super special natural area in Berkshire, England. It covers about 17.7 hectares (that's like 44 football fields!). This place is so important for nature that it's called a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). A big part of it, about 8 hectares, is a nature reserve known as Decoy Heath. It's looked after by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.
This amazing spot has many different types of habitats. You can find woodlands, open heathland, grassy areas, and lots of small ponds and pools. It's especially important because it has a type of woodland with alder trees that is becoming quite rare in England. Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods is also home to more types of breeding dragonfly and damselfly than anywhere else in Berkshire! Plus, many other cool insects and birds live here, making it a really diverse and valuable place.
Contents
What Makes Decoy Pit Special?
This area is a mix of different natural places, each with its own unique plants and animals. It's like a giant puzzle of nature, all connected.
Watery Wonders
In the southern part of the site, there's a gentle slope where a stream called the West End Brook begins. It flows through a small valley.
In the northern part, there used to be a gravel pit. It was closed in the early 1980s and has since filled with water. Now, it's a beautiful mix of shallow pools and a larger pond. You can also find heathland and scrubby areas here. These watery spots are perfect for many wetland plants. Look out for tall bulrush and common spike-rush. There's even a rare plant called marsh speedwell that grows here!
Forest and Heathland
The heathland areas are mostly covered in heather. Slowly, birch trees are starting to grow there too. The land around these areas is mostly birch woodland, with some more heathland mixed in. There's also a small boggy area where purple moor-grass grows in huge amounts.
Some parts of the site have very old, natural woodlands. These are known as Brick kiln Gully, Roundwood Gully, and Roundwood Copse. The low-lying valleys in these areas are always wet, which is perfect for alder trees. The ground under the trees is full of different plants. You might see greater tussock-sedge and opposite-leaved goldensaxifrage.
Other common woodland types are also found here, higher up on the slopes. These areas have plants typical of old, natural forests. Examples include hard shield-fern and Solomon's-seal. There's also a pond full of plants on the north side of Best Gully.
Amazing Wildlife
Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods is a fantastic place for many different creatures, especially insects and birds.
Dragonflies and Damselflies
This site is a true paradise for dragonflies and damselflies! A total of twenty-three different species breed here. They use the ponds, streams, and shallow pools to lay their eggs and for their young to grow. The nearby woodlands provide great places for the adult insects to hunt for food.
Three of these species are quite rare in the UK:
- The scarce blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura pumilio) loves shallow, newly formed pools.
- The downy emerald (Cordulia aenea).
- The brilliant emerald (Somatochlora metallica).
Other Rare Animals
Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods is also home to other rare animals. You might spot the woodlark and the beautiful silver-studded blue butterfly (Plebejus argus). Both of these breed in the heathland areas.
The site is also the only place in all of Berkshire where you can find the Devon carpet moth (Lampropteryx otregiata). In winter, birds like the snipe and jack snipe visit the pools. You might also see siskins and redpolls feeding in the alder trees.
