Fiddler's Elbow National Nature Reserve
Fiddler's Elbow National Nature Reserve is a steep sided, woodland national nature reserve of 45 hectares in the Upper Wye Valley to the north of Monmouth in Wales, close to the Wales–England border. It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its biological characteristics, containing a wide variety of flora.
Geography
The nature reserve, which was notified as an SSSI in 1971, is located east of the town of Monmouth in Monmouthshire on the eastern banks of the River Wye. The entire site contains the named woods of Lady Grove, Priory Grove to the north and Garth Wood in the south. The A4136 road runs through the middle of the reserve and Offa's Dyke Path, a National Trail, runs through the southern part of the reserve.The eastern side of the site is owned and managed by the Woodland Trust and the western side is owned by a private individual, being managed in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, the successor body to the Countryside Council for Wales. It also forms part of the Wye Valley Woodlands Special Area of Conservation.
The reserve is underlain by sandstones from the Devonian period.
Wildlife and ecology
Flora
As with other woodland in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Fiddler's Elbow contains many local and rare tree species. Of particular rarity in the county are the areas of English oak and Cornish oak with small-leaved lime coppice. Also within the nature reserve are common ash, common beech, common hazel and English yew.The reserve also contains a large variety of ground flora, being known as a bluebell wood. Spring-flowering plants that occur on the site include the bluebell, common primrose, lesser celandine, ramsons and wood anemone. Orchids are also present, with the varieties bird's-nest, early purple and the greater butterfly-orchid being found. The very rare ghost orchid has once been found within the site as well.
Fauna
Dormice can be found within the reserve, feeding off the brambles, hazel, honeysuckle, oak and sycamore. Roe deer are also present, but can cause a problem through over-grazing, therefore some parts of the woodland are fenced-off to protect it.In addition, the nature reserve's management policy, which includes leaving fallen or standing dead wood in situ, also provides ideal habitats for fungi and invertebrates.