Wych Elm

It's been a good time to spot Wych Elm trees, Ulmus glabra, in the two big areas of woodland at the nature reserve. This year they seem to have produced vast amounts of seeds, a lot of which are currently on the ground, giving the game away as the trees hide amongst big old Hazels with superficially similar leaves. Once the seeds are spotted the leaves can be checked more carefully and then the uneven lobes next to the stem confirm the species. There are only a handful of Wych Elms on the reserve, but they are quite special as the larval foot plants of a number of moths and the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly, which was only discovered at the site about four years ago.