Wildlife Introduction

Little Owl


Bee Orchids


Beachborough Park is part of a County Local Wildlife Site (SNCI), (formerly known as Site of Nature Conservation Interest), and is important for its large mature trees supporting  lichen flora, unfortunately much of the original parkland has been ploughed and converted to arable, and the lichen interest within the arable area has been destroyed. Despite this a narrow strip of grassland adjoining Asholt Wood (SSSI) remains as sheep pasture and the oaks within this grassland retain some of the former lichen richness. Some species present include Rinodina roboris, Ramalina fraxinea, several species of Pertusina, Schismatomma decolorans and Ochrolechia subviridis. A further area of neutral grassland to the south near Frogholt House, with two parkland oaks, is unmanaged and rank, with large ant hills buried in the grassland and young bramble and scrub intruding from the surrounding shaw and hedgerows. Great willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum), hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum), Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) and rush species (Juncus spp), are found in the damper parts.

Beachborough Park has also extended itself to include a nearby fishing lake complex, with its surrounds of unimproved damp neutral grassland, sallow/hawthorn scrub and alder trees. The fishing activity is fairly limited and the lake supports a good variety of marginal and emergent flora, with one small area of reedbed. Species found here include greater pond-sedge (Carex riparia), water-plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica), common spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris), gypsywort (Lycopus europaeus), hard rush (Juncus inflexus) and soft rush (Juncus effusus), together with tufted forget-me-not (Myosotis laxa) and brooklime (Veronica beccabunga).


Many good local bird species have been found some include Little Owl, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Treecreeper and Common Buzzard, with the scarcer birds such as Red Kite also being noted. Reptile species recorded include Adder, Grass Snake, Slow Worm, Common Lizard and Wall Lizard, and at least six species of breeding odonata have been found around the lake such as Black-tailed Skimmer, Red-eyed Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Common-blue Damselfly and Common Darter, in a part of the county where good sites for this group are scarce. The adjacent grassland areas also supports a variety of common butterflies and day-flying moths.

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