Cloud Wood
Selected Wild Place / Other Wild Places / Public Rights of Way / VC55 boundary
Cloud Wood is in the north-west of Leicestershire, near to Breedon and adjacent to the road between Griffydam and Tongue. Visitors should park in the layby along this road.
Site species count:
This 33 hectare site is ancient woodland and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It stands on Keuper Marl and Boulder Clay and is one of the most floristically rich sites in the county. In the past it was a larger site standing on Carboniferous Limestone but this has since been quarried out. The woodland was clear-felled around the time of World War II but was allowed to regenerate naturally. It was donated to the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust in 1993 by Ennstone Breedon plc. The Trust has now reinstigated coppice management in parts of the site.
Over 220 species of fern and flowering plant have been recorded here, including Herb Paris, Violet Helleborine and Greater Butterfly Orchid. There is a profusion of Common Spotted Orchids along the rides. In the spring the wood is carpeted in Wood Anenomes, Bluebells and Primroses. The bird life is not very diverse but there a number of butterflies of note, including Purple and White-letter Hairstreaks.
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