Biodiversity at Springwood
Here at Springwood Sanctuary, we are passionate about healing the land, protecting the river and riverbanks and creating safe natural habitats for native wildlife as well as the sanctuary animals who have a forever home here. We do this by treading lightly on the earth, being mindful of what, where, when and how we interact, minimising the use of machinery and any power tools, not using chemicals and not 'managing' nature in a traditional way.
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Conservation grazing the land, enables different species of plants to flourish as well as enabling the herds of horses, ponies and donkeys here to live with free choice and an abundance of wild medicinal plants to select for their health and wellbeing. ​
By listening to the land and stepping back to allow nature to heal, it has been very exciting to see an increasingly diverse selection of wild medicinal plants and grasses, fungi, trees and hedges self seeding and populating new areas, dead trees to remain as standing wood and fallen wood to remain in the rivers. All this creating important habitats and feeding grounds for an abundance of wildlife.
Over the past few years we have been excited and proud to witness how these new habitats have enabled an increase in the abundance of wildlife here.
THE RIVER TEIFI
The River Teifi runs for just over a mile along the southern boundary of our beautiful sanctuary. Therefore we are very keen to ensure the health of the river, the river banks, the bird life, otters, fish and plant life in the river all thrive.
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One of the reasons that the River Teifi has SSSI status (site of special scientific interest) is because it is a rare habitat for River Water Crowfoot. For the first time this year we have seen this lovely plant flowering with abundance. So exciting to see!
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The river is home to many species including:
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Birds:
Kingfishers * Dippers * Sand martins * Grey Herons * Cormorants * Mute Swans * Geese (brown & Canada) * Ducks - moorhens, grebes, mallards, coots, goosanders * Little Egrets
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Fish:
Grayling * Brown trout * Salmon * Minnows * Eels
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Amphibians:​
Newts * Common frogs * Common toads
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Mammals:
Otters * Water voles * Water shrews * Bats
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Invertebrates:
Damselflies * Banded Demoiselles * Dragonflies * Pondskaters * Water boatmen * Gnats & mosquitoes
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Plants:
Water Crowfoot * Bullrush * Yellow flag iris​​​​
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RIVER BANKS
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It's vitally important that we protect the river banks from degrading further by fencing off from grazing animals, as well as planting more trees along the banks so that their roots can help strengthen the banks. It's also important to allow fallen trees to create backwaters in the river. These backwaters are important feeding areas for the otters and fish and great habitats for invertebrates. We are also hoping to create some vital conservation areas for wading birds by enabling wetlands to develop along flood plain areas. As we are a not for profit sanctuary and rely on volunteers and private donations, we are not able to do all this vital work ourselves. We are hoping to collaborate with other like minded grant funding bodies to help us with this.
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Growing along the river banks are a variety of plants and trees, including:
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Meadowsweet * Valerian * St Johns wort * Birds foot trefoil * Meadow vetchling * Wild southern marsh orchids * Cow parsley * Angelica * Dandelion * Marsh Mallow * Plantain * Bistort * Knapweed * Stitchwort * Foxglove * Marsh marigold * Celandine * Bluebells * Wood anemone * Primrose * Hogweed * Horsetail * Willows * Oaks * Alders * Hawthorn * Blackthorn *
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HEDGES:
The hedges are wildlife corridors and so full of biodiversity. We are enjoying allowing them to develop depth and height so that they thrive as important habitats. Interspersed in the hedges are also some trees of various ages. It's very important to have a succession of younger trees and not just the lovely ancient and veteran trees we have here. We are enjoying nurturing the younger seedlings and sapplings that are self-seeding naturally as well as planting some other native trees in specific locations.
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The hedgerows comprise:
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TREES:
​English Oak * Welsh Oak * Sessile Oak. * Alder * Weeping Willow * Goat willow * Sycamore * Ash * Hazel * Elder * Rowan * Hawthorn * Beech * Birch * Silver birch * Holly
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HEDGE PLANTS:
Wild rose * Bramble * Blackthorn * Hawthorn * Honeysuckle * Garlic mustard / Jack of the Hedge * Cleavers * Foxgloves * Sycamore * Bindweed * Ivy
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ANCIENT HILL:
One of the exciting plants we have here are woodland daffodils. Not only is the daffodil the native national plant of Wales, but the woodland daffodils are extremely rare these days. This is because our native ancient woodland is so rare and these lovely smaller versions of the larger garden daffodil thrive at the edge of woodlands. They proliferate beneath a row of stunning old oaks whch mark the edge of the old drovers route.
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It's also very exciting to find old maps and history of Glanryd y Pysgod and to discover an ancient hill fort above this row of oaks, a quartz crystal cave on the edge of the fort, an ancient stone wall around it, stones hidden in the hedge which were toll gates by our current houses, forming the the old drovers route between Aber Teifi / Cardigan and London.
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Plants and trees on this wild bank between the hill fort and river include:
Gorse * Bluebells * Bracken * Woodland daffodils * Silver birch * Oaks * Hawthorn * Sycamore * Willow * Brambles * Primroses
Animals living in this wild area include:
Foxes * Badgers *.Rabbits * Owls * Woodpeckers * Snakes * Bats * Polecats
INVERTEBRATES:
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There is an ever growing abundance of invertebrates in and around the river and on the land here, including:
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INVERTEBRATES:
Grasshoppers​ * Beetles - dung, violet ground, stag * Flies - horse, bot, black * Earwigs * Ants * Spiders * Shieldbugs * Pondskaters * Water boatmen * Gnats & mosquitoes * Slugs * Snails * Ladybirds * Wasps * Bees * Butterflies * Moths * Damselflies * Banded Demoiselles * Dragonflies​​
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The habitat for beautiful Banded Demoiselles is another reason that the River Teifi has SSSI status.
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BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS:
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It is wonderful to witness the abundance of butterflies and moths amongst the other biodiversity here. Especially at a time when sadly so many are reporting a decline.
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So many are very specific about the species they need to thrive, for example the brown hairstreak lays her eggs on 1-2 year old blackthorn suckers as this is the caterpillars food source. The orange tip needs lady's smock / cuckoo flower to feed. ​
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Amongst those who have habitats here we have:
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BUTTERFLIES:
Orange Tip * Meadow Brown * Marbled White * Peacock * Red Admiral * Small Tortoisehell * Green-veined White * * Small White * Large White * Ringlet * Common Blue * Comma * Brown Hairstreak
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MOTHS:
Cinnabar * Emperor * Six-spot burnet
FUNGI:
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It has been very exciting to see a wide selection fungi proliferating and creating their underground mycorrhizal network which carry essential nutrients and signalling to trees and plants.
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Mushrooms and toadstools are such a great indicator of soil health and the opportunities for biodiversity.
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Amongst the fungus we have here are:
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Field mushrooms * Horse mushrooms * Giant puffballs * False puffball slime mould * Dryads saddle * Scarlet elfcup * Shaggy inkcap * Parasol * Chicken of the Woods * Turkeytail * Ice hair * Tawny Grisette
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LAND
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BIRDS:
Swallows
Swifts
House martins
Great Spotted Woodpeckers
Pied wagtails
Grey Wagtails
Siskins
Wheatears
Starlings
​Tree Pipits
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Jays
Crows
Ravens
Magpies
Wood pigeons
Doves
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Songbirds:
Willow warblers
Chaffinches
Chiffchaff
Sparrows
Nuthatches
Robins
Blackbirds
Finches - green & gold
Song and mistle thrushes
Wrens
Black caps
Blue tits
Great tits
Cole tits
Bullfinches
Fire crest
Dunnocks
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Birds of prey:
Sparrowhawks
Red kites
Buzzards
Owls - barn owl, tawny owl
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MAMMALS:
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Badgers
Foxes
Rabbits
Hares
Mice
Voles
Rats
Shrews
Moles
Stoats
Polecats
Squirrels
Hedgehogs
Bats
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Grasshoppers​
Beetles - dung, violet ground, stag
Ants
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Adders
Grass Snakes
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MOSS & LICHENS:​
Marsh hair moss
Ordinary moss
Lichen
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GRASSES:
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Timothy
Marsh grass
Soft Brome
Cocksfoot
Rye
Wavy hair-grass
Yorkshire fog
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TREES:
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English Oak
Welsh Oak
Sessile Oak
Alder
Weeping Willow
Goat willow
Sycamore
Ash
Hazel
Elder
Rowan
Hawthorn
Beech
Birch
Silver birch
Holly
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ORCHARD & VEGGIE GARDENS:
Our orchard is as biodiverse as the rest of the land, and rightly so. It is as important as anywhere that the pollinators thrive in and around our orchard and veggie gardens so we allow nature to thrive rather than keeping everything manicured.
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Walnut * Apple * Cherry * Crab apple * Pear * Horse chestnut * Linden / Lime * Sweet chestnut
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HEDGE PLANTS:
Wild rose
Bramble
Blackthorn
Hawthorn
Honeysuckle
Garlic mustard / Jack of the Hedge
Cleavers
Foxgloves
Sycamore
Bindweed
Ivy
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Ragwort
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PLANTS (medicinal, wild, herbs):
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Meadowsweet
Valerian
St Johns wort
Birds foot trefoil
Meadow vetchling
Wood Spurge
Oxeye daisy
Ragged Robin
Wild Clary Sage
Wild Marjoram
Wild southern marsh orchids
Cow parsley
Angelica
Dandelion
Dock
Marsh Mallow
Yarrow
Plantain
Bistort
Knapweed
Stitchwort
Foxglove
Sweet violet
Speedwell
Hawkweed
Marsh marigold
Celandine
Thistle
Cleavers
Nettle
Woodland daffodils
Bluebells
Centaury
Ladies smock / cuckoo flower
Wild bilberry
Rosebay willow herb
Gorse
Buttercup
Wood anemone
Self heal
Wild geranium
Herb Robert
Teasel
Wild garlic
Bugle
Cowslip
Primrose
Evening primrose
Silverweed
Wild strawberry
Red clover
White clover
Chickweed
Purslane
Fat Hen
Great Burnet
Bindweed
Hogweed
Ground Ivy​​
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Invasive plant which we are trying to keep on top of is Himalayan Balsam. Thick stands of plants shade out low level native plants reducing diversity and denuding riverbanks of understory vegetation. Winter dieback of plant and roots exposes soil to erosion. Greater nectar production makes flowers more attractive bees resulting in less pollination of native species. Each seed pod held on the mature plant contains 4-16 seeds; when these are touched, the seed pod explodes, propelling the seeds up to 7m from the parent plant. Seeds can then float downstream, be carried by attachment to animals (and people) and/or moved in contaminated soil.
