Penhow Woodlands National Nature Reserve facts for kids
Penhow Woodlands National Nature Reserve is a special place in south-east Wales, close to the village of Penhow and east of Newport. It's called a national nature reserve because it's protected for its important wildlife and habitats. It's also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, which means it has plants, animals, or geology that are very important to science. This reserve covers about 24 hectares (59 acres) of land.
Penhow Woodlands is made up of three areas of very old, natural woodlands. These woods have been around for a long, long time! Only one part, called Coed Wen, is open for people to visit. The main trees you'll see here are ash, small-leaved lime, wych elm, and gean. Below these tall trees, you'll find a layer of hazel bushes.
To help the smaller plants on the ground get enough sunlight, the woods are managed by a method called coppicing. This means some trees are cut down to ground level every few years. They then grow back from the stump, creating new stems. This keeps the forest floor bright and helps many plants that need lots of light to grow well. These woods grow on the tops and sides of limestone hills near Newport. This kind of habitat is becoming very rare in the UK, and so are the special plants that live there.
Amazing Plants
Penhow Woodlands is one of the best places in Wales to see beautiful spring flowers. You can find carpets of bluebells, along with primroses, wood anemone, and lesser celandine. Spring is also the perfect time to spot the native wild daffodils. These small, pale daffodils can bloom from February all the way to April.
A very special plant called Herb paris also grows here. Finding Herb paris is a good sign that a woodland is very old and natural. It's becoming quite rare in the UK. Other unusual plants include green hellebore, which loves to grow in woods on limestone soil, and the birds-nest orchid. This orchid grows in leaf litter and usually flowers around June. The Euphorbia stricta (upright spurge) is another rare plant found here. In the UK, it only grows in south-east Wales and Gloucestershire, and Penhow Woodlands has the largest group of them in the Gwent area.
Wonderful Wildlife
The nature reserve is also home to many different birds. You might hear or see various types of warblers, which are small songbirds. Other birds that come here to breed and raise their young include the common redstart, the European pied flycatcher, and the tree pipit. These birds add to the lively sounds and sights of Penhow Woodlands.
