ORTON LONGUEVILLE WOODS VIEW Traditional Cache
micktooting: Not replacing again
ORTON LONGUEVILLE WOODS VIEW
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
ORTN LONGUEVILLE WOODS VIEW
You are looking for a 2ml magnetic tube
Can be done as a Cache & Dash Parking is close to gz
Orton longueville Wood is a valuable site for amenity use being within easy reach of several large residential areas and adjoining a large school. Access to into the wood is easy as most of the southern boundary and large parts on the northern end of the wood have no barriers, the rest is bounded by private gardens or security fencing around the school boundaries. It is also a conspicuous landscape feature not least because of the avenue of large Wellingtonias, which dominate the southern arm of the wood (planted between 1859 and 1861). It is almost the only area of mature woodland in the City of Peterborough south of the River Nene and for that reason is an important wildlife resource.
The Wood was planted out as a landscaped park associated with nearby Orton Hall, the grounds were redesigned in the 19th century, although this area had been wood pasture/hedged grassland for many centuries previous to this- the hall dates from the 12th century, there is at least one remaining old oak in the wood which could be a last vestige from this era.,BR/>Most of the planting was carried out under the orders of the 10th Marquis of Huntly who introduced many of the specimen exotic trees still present in the wood.,BR/>Actively managed until decline of the estate at around the time of the First World War the wood thereafter fell into dereliction. After the Second World War the wood came to be owned by the local authority. Since that time the surrounding land has become extensively developed as part of the city of Peterborough with school, housing areas and roads being added.
In vegetation terms what exists today is therefore an amalgamation of the influences of the original wood pasture/grassland/hedgerow flora, extensive introductions of tree/ scrub and ground flora species both by natural colonisation and by deliberate planting over the years and the influence of relatively recent public use of the site.
In broad terms therefore the wood is plantation that has some natural influences. It is all high forest in structure but due to the unusual narrow L shape has retained definite under storey and ground flora layers where sunlight filters in from the long wood edges. Extremely diverse in woody species there are 16 tree species including, Ash, Elm, Lime, Beech, Wellingtonia, Yew, False acacia, Swamp cypress, Corsican pine and Sitka spruce. As well as 11 shrub species including Hazel, Gooseberry, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Wild Privet, Snow berry.
No one species is dominant but there is evidence of sycamore colonisation in many areas.
The ground flora is variable but mostly species poor dominated by nettles, cleavers and cow parsley all species of disturbed and enriched soils, in places where there is dense canopy cover and thick leaf litter ground flora is almost absent. A small area of dense bramble has developed under the shrub layer on the inner side of the southern arm.
However the wood does contain three species characteristic of ancient woodland, Ramsons, Dogs mercury and Bluebell mainly in scattered pockets in the southern arm and more extensive large areas in the northern arm. These species are often found with Winter aconite, Small balsam and Snowdrop.
There is one large pond, which has in the past been found to contain frogs and several interesting water beetles.
Other species recorded in the wood give a good indication of its wildlife value: - breeding Tawny owl, Sparrow hawk all three woodpeckers, Tree creepers and Nuthatch there is also a small rookery in the centre of the wood
Info sourced fronm the Woodland trust
Congratulations to EchoMcEcho FTF
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gheavat cbvag ybj qbja
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures