West Beckham Green

The floor of the woodland is peppered with wild flowers in the spring and summer, including Three-nerved Sandwort (April-July), Lords-and-Ladies (April-Junee, with spectacular berries in the autumn), Climbing Corydalis (May-December), Foxglove (June-July), Hedge Woundwort (June-September), Herb Robert (April-October), Red Campion (April-October), and Wood Avens (May-November). 

Meanwhile, you may hear a Song Thrush singing high in the Oak trees, while in the lower branches Blackcaps and Common Chiffchaff warble, and small flocks of Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits flit through the foliage. You may hear the drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker advertising its presence to others. 

In the summer, woodland butterflies feed on the nectar of the Brambles or flutter among the undergrowth, including Small White and Large White (both of which are in flight in July and August), Red Admiral (June-September), Speckled Wood (April-September), White Admiral (July) and Silver-Washed Fritillary (July-August). 

Other invertebrates also enjoy the dense undergrowth. If you are lucky, you may see or hear a Hedgehog snuffling in the leaf mould in search of a tasty morsel.

Autumn sees the emergence of a number of interesting fungi species including the striking Stinkhorn, dramatic Fly Agaric, and scaly Common Earthball.

Considering the small size of this site, there is a wide variety of species of tree, including Ash, Beech, Hazel, European Silver Fir, some wonderful mature Hollies, Oak, Rowan, Silver Birch and Sycamore, with Honeysuckle and Ivy twining around their trunks. In the winter the Rowan and Holly trees are festooned with berries, which attract winter thrushes such as Redwing. The presence of European Gorse reflects the site’s history as heathland.

For a full list of the flora and fauna spotted at our sites, see our Species Lists