Ashmeadow Woodlands - The Barnes Trust

Trees and Woodlands

The woodland is growing on a steep rocky limestone northwest-facing slope, which as far as we are able to establish from old maps etc. (and from the native species present in the shrub layer and ground flora) has probably always been woodland and is therefore classified as an ancient woodland site. The principal species are oak, ash and beech with a few sycamore, Scots pine, wild cherry, birch, rowan, goat willow and wych elm, with an understorey of holly and occasional hawthorn, elder and hazel. There are abundant yew (some in attractive groves and avenues) and a ground flora typical of old woodlands in the Arnside area.

Many of the trees will have been planted to enrich the natural woodland when the present Ashmeadow House was built. Besides beech and sycamore, this includes Horse chestnut, lime, sweet chestnut, walnut, Balsam poplar, Sequoia sempervirens, Corsican pine, Portugal laurel, Prunus lusitanica, and Lawson’s cyprus.

There are a few healthy veteran oak and beech trees, aged 150 - 200 years within the woodland and fine individual specimens, including sycamore, beech, Scots and Corsican pine, in the parkland.

Until recently there was very little management of the woodland trees, which meant that they have grown tall, with thin stems and poor crowns due to neglect of thinning.

Removal of a small group of trees following windblow in January 2006 has demonstrated that abundant natural regeneration of trees, particularly ash, will soon appear when light is let into a the gap in the tree canopy.

Woodland Management

The trees are protected by a Tree Preservation Order, but this should not prevent necessary management, including thinning to favour the best specimen trees, particularly oak, beech, Scots pine and yew and essential tree surgery to minimise risk. The fruit trees in the orchard also require pruning and a small amount of appropriate new planting to fill gaps.

Progress

A Woodland Grant Scheme agreement was made with the Forestry Commission in April 1998.

Since then there has been considerable progress and in April 2001 Vic Gray reported that applications had been made to a number of organisations and charities, most of who made grants available. This additional funding allowed a significant amount of work in the woodland, walled garden and orchard to be undertaken.

Boundary walls were repaired, the walled garden cleared of overgrown brambles and other growth in preparation for seeding with wild flowers etc. and a new fence was erected between the woodland and the property known as “Uplands”.

The AONB Countryside Management Service and their band of volunteers, constructed five new footpaths. The first was from the lodge on Silverdale Road through to the Slipway and this was followed by a path from the Promenade alongside the boundary wall up to the main driveway. The third path was from the war memorial (where a commemorative cairn was erected in May 2007) down to the end of the path from the Promenade. These paths constituted the first phase of the long-term plan drawn up by the Trustees and were formally opened by Mrs Barnes on 1st June 2000.

Common Name

Alkanet

Annual Meadow Grass

Autumn Crocus

Bird’s-foot Trefoil

Black Medick

Broad-leaved Dock

Bush Vetch

Cock’s-foot Grass

Common Burdock

Common Hawkbit

Common Knapweed

Common Mouse-ear

Common Spotted Orchid

Common Tormentil

Creeping Buttercup

Daisy

Dandelion

Eyebright species

Fescue grass species

Foxglove

Germander Speedwell

Goose-grass

Greater Plantain

Ground Elder

Groundsel

Herb Robert

Hornbeam

Ivy

Lady’s Mantle

Lesser Celendine

Meadow Foxtail Grass

Northern Marsh Orchid

Oat Grass

Ox-eye Daisy

Perforate St. John’s-wort

Purple Loosestrife

Red Bartsia

Red Clover

Red-veined Dock

Ribwort Plantain

Rough Hawkbit

Rye Grass

Sedge species

Self-heal

Silverweed

Spear Thistle

Stinging Nettle

Tufted Vetch

White Clover

Yarrow

Yellow Meadow Vetchling

Yorkshire Fog (grass)

Zigzag Clover

Latin Name

Pentaglottis sempervirens

Poa annua

Crocus nodiflorus

Lotus corniculatus

Medicago lupulina

Rumex obtusifolius

Vicia sepium

Dactylis glomerata

Arcticum pubens

Leontodon taraxacoides

Centaurea nigra

Cerastium fontanum

Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Potentilla erecta

Ranunculus repens

Bellis perennis

Taraxacum officinale

Euphrasia sp.

Festuca spp.

Digitalis purpurea

Veronica chamaedrys

Galium aparine

Plantago major

Aegopodium podagraria

Senecio vulgaris

Geranium robertianum

Carpinus betulus

Hedera helix

Alchemilla sp.

Ranunculus ficaria

Alopecurus pratensis

Dactylorhiza purpurella

Arrhenatherum elatius

Chrysanthemum leucanthemum

Hypericum perforatum

Lythrum salicaria

Odontites verna

Trefolium pratense

Rumex sanguineus

Plantago lanceolata

Leontodon hispidus

Lolium perenne

Carex sp.

Prunella vulgaris

Potentilla anserina

Circium vulgare

Urtica dioica

Vicia cracca

Trefolium repens

Achillea millefolium

Lathyrus pratensis

Holcus lanatus

Trefolium medium

Abundance

Occasional

Abundant

1 clump by ‘ranch’ kissing-gate.

Occasional

Abundant

Occasional

Abundant

1 plant

Frequent

Abundant .

Frequent

First appeared in 2006 .

Occasional

Abundant

Frequent

Occasional

Uncommon - Intro. 2006.

Occasional

Frequent

Occasional

Southern boundary hedge

Covering northerly walls .

1 Plant

Occasional

One good flowering spike in 2006.

Abundant

Occasional

Abundant …

Abundant

Frequent

Abundant

Frequent

Abundant

Frequent

Occasional

Abundant

Occasional

One patch

Occasional

Abundant

Occasional

Frequent

Abundant

Common Name

Common Agrimony

Common Dog Violet

Cowslip

English Bluebell

Foxglove

Greater Bell-flower

Greater Stichwort

Harebell

Hedge Parsley

May-flower

Meadow Crane’s-bill

Red Campion

Wild Daffodil

Wild Honeysuckle

Wild Primrose

Wild Red Poppy

Yellow-rattle

Latin Name

Agrimonia eupatoria

Viola rivinianna

Primula veris

Hyacynthoides non-scriptus

Digitalis purpurea

Campanula latifolia

Stellaria holostea

Campanula rotundifolia

Torilis arvensis

Cardamine pratensis

Geranium pratense

Silene dioica

Narcissus psuedo-narsissus

Lonicera periclymenum

Primula vulgaris

Papaver repens

Rhinanthus minor

Dark Green Fritillary

Hover-flies

Metallic micro-moth

Red Admiral

Silver-Y Moth

Small Tortoishell

Speckled Wood

Apple

Ash

Balsam poplar

Beech

Birch

Corsican pine

Elder

Goat willow

Hawthorn

Hazel

Holly

Horse chestnut

Lawson’s cyprus

Lime

Oak

Portugal laurel, Prunus lusitanica

Rowan

Scots pine

Sweet chestnut

Sycamore

Walnut

Wild cherry

Wych elm

Yew

Common Name

Blackbird

Blue Tit

Bullfinch

Carrion Crow

Chaffinch

Coal Tit

Collard Dove

Dunnock

Goldcrest

Goldfinch

Great Tit

Greater-spotted Woodpecker

Greenfinch

Jackdaw

Long-tailed Tit

Magpie

Marsh Tit

Mistle Thrush

Nuthatch

Pheasant

Robin

Song Thrush

Tawny Owl

Turtle Dove

Wood Pigeon

Wren

Abundance

Ever-present

Frequent

Occasional

Ever-present

Frequent

Ever-present

Occasional

Frequent

Ever-present

Frequent

Occasional

Frequent

Occasional

Frequent

Breeding

Ever-present

Frequent

Occasional

In Hornbeam hedge 2004

Ever-present