Old St. Mellons Local Woodlands
Introduction | Local Rivers | Wildlife | Local woodlands | Record
Local Woodlands
Just North of Old St Mellons there are a number of small local woodlands. The closest are Cefn Mably woods across the River Rhymney and Coed Wern-ddu which stretches up from Began Road to Coed Ruperra & Ruperra Castle.
Cefn Mably Woods
Although primarily coniferous woodland, Cefn Mably does have a scattering of deciduous woodland and small areas of ancient woodland on which trees are known to have stood since 1600. The site is too small to be of significant commercial value but is designated a Planted Ancient Woodland Site (PAWS) by the Forestry Commission who own the site.
The Forestry commission have been selectively removing coniferous trees in order to improve the native flora. Cefn Mably has spectacular displays of bluebells during the spring, along with a high diversity of plants and a rich range of birds and invertebrates.
The Cardiff Naturalists Society visited the site in 2005 and recorded 104 species in a single day showing how much diversity there is on the site. A species list can be found here.
A recent brief walk in Coed Wern-ddu woods generated a list which can be found here
The forestry comission are always interested in receiving any records you gather if you visit their sites. Details of how to contact them can be found here
