Palmers Rough
Encyclopedia
Palmers Rough is a Local Nature Reserve
and Park located in Shirley
, Solihull
. It covers an area of approximately 7.3 hectares (18 acre) and consists of two separate woodland blocks; Palmers Coppice to the east, and Squires Coppice to the west. They are separated by open grassland and include for two football pitches and a small childrens playground. A wide range of plants and animals makes Palmers Rough an important urban space and was therefore granted Local Nature Reserve status in 2000. The presence of Palmers Rough is noted within the Domesday Book
, and suggests that the woodland dates back over 900 years.
A walk through the woods is especially rewarding in springtime when bluebells produce a vivid carpet of colour.
which forms the main canopy, but includes for many other species such as rowan
, maple
, ash, and holly
. There is also a varied shrub layer of elder, hazel
, hawthorn
, silver birch
, and some cherry laurel
. Other smaller shrubs and plants include for bramble
, bracken
, honeysuckle
, broad buckler fern, nettle
, ivy
, and occasionally Raspberry
. Unfortunately Japanese Knotweed
has been allowed to take hold in some parts of the site, and in other areas the brambles and nettles are becoming overly dominant.
Many woodland wildflower species are also present, including for Bluebell
s, Wood Avens
, Herb Robert, and more rarely Wood sorrel, Enchanters nightshade
, Cow wheat and Bilberry
. The latter is normally a heathland species, but here it thrives due to the acidic soils present at the site.
The woods are an important refuge for wildlife in the otherwise sub-urban housing environment of Shirley, and are home to many native species including for green and greater spotted woodpecker
s, squirrel
s, vole
s, bat
s, owl
s and fox
es. The two pockets of woodland are joined by a strip of mature oak trees and smaller woody bushes, which provides an important corridor for wildlife between the two. A pond lies within the eastern pocket of woodland and provides a refuge for wildfowl such as ducks and coots, and is also home to rare Sphagnum
moss and Marsh Cinquefoil.
An independent ecological survey was undertaken in 2004, which recommended several long term management tasks including for thinning, coppicing, introducing glades, improving dead wood resources, and managing weeds, brambles and non-native species. The survey was one of many undertaken borough wide as part of the Solihull Woodland Management Programme, which aims to provide a commitment to conserving and improving the various woodlands and parks within the borough. Active woodland management includes for Hazel
coppicing
, and the use of shire horse
s, as an alternative to damaging wheeled or tracked vehicles, for removing felled timber.
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
and Park located in Shirley
Shirley, West Midlands
Shirley is a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the county of West Midlands, England. It is a residential and shopping neighbourhood, and a suburb of Solihull.-History:...
, Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
. It covers an area of approximately 7.3 hectares (18 acre) and consists of two separate woodland blocks; Palmers Coppice to the east, and Squires Coppice to the west. They are separated by open grassland and include for two football pitches and a small childrens playground. A wide range of plants and animals makes Palmers Rough an important urban space and was therefore granted Local Nature Reserve status in 2000. The presence of Palmers Rough is noted within the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, and suggests that the woodland dates back over 900 years.
A walk through the woods is especially rewarding in springtime when bluebells produce a vivid carpet of colour.
Nature
The woods are a mixed broadleaf woodland, composed primarily of oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
which forms the main canopy, but includes for many other species such as rowan
Rowan
The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...
, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, ash, and holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
. There is also a varied shrub layer of elder, hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
, hawthorn
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
, silver birch
Silver Birch
Betula pendula is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus...
, and some cherry laurel
Cherry laurel
Prunus laurocerasus, with common names cherry laurel and sometimes called English laurel in North America, is a species in the genus Prunus, native to regions bordering the Black Sea in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe, from Albania and Bulgaria east through Turkey to the Caucasus...
. Other smaller shrubs and plants include for bramble
Bramble
Brambles are thorny plants of the genus Rubus, in the rose family . Bramble fruit is the fruit of any such plant, including the blackberry and raspberry. The word comes from Germanic *bram-bezi, whence also German Brombeere , Dutch Braam and French framboise...
, bracken
Bracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
, honeysuckle
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
, broad buckler fern, nettle
Nettle
Nettles constitute between 24 and 39 species of flowering plants of the genus Urtica in the family Urticaceae, with a cosmopolitan though mainly temperate distribution. They are mostly herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annual and a few are shrubby...
, ivy
Ivy
Ivy, plural ivies is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan.-Description:On level ground they...
, and occasionally Raspberry
Raspberry
The raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
. Unfortunately Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed
Japanese Knotweed is a large, herbaceous perennial plant, native to eastern Asia in Japan, China and Korea...
has been allowed to take hold in some parts of the site, and in other areas the brambles and nettles are becoming overly dominant.
Many woodland wildflower species are also present, including for Bluebell
Bluebell
-Plants:* genus Hyacinthoides** Common Bluebell ** Spanish Bluebell * genus Mertensia** Virginia Bluebell * Scottish Bluebell...
s, Wood Avens
Wood Avens
Geum urbanum, also known as wood avens, herb Bennet, colewort and St. Benedict's herb , is a perennial plant in the rose family , which grows in shady places in Europe and the Middle East.Usually reaching a height between 20 and 60 cm, wood avens blooms between May and August,...
, Herb Robert, and more rarely Wood sorrel, Enchanters nightshade
Circaea
The genus Circaea contains 7-10 species of flowering plants, known as Enchanter's nightshade. They are woodland plants occurring throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Two species are widespread, Broad-leaved Enchanter's Nightshade and Alpine Enchanter's Nightshade...
, Cow wheat and Bilberry
Bilberry
Bilberry is any of several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium , bearing edible berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species....
. The latter is normally a heathland species, but here it thrives due to the acidic soils present at the site.
The woods are an important refuge for wildlife in the otherwise sub-urban housing environment of Shirley, and are home to many native species including for green and greater spotted woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s, squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s, vole
Vole
A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...
s, bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s, owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s and fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es. The two pockets of woodland are joined by a strip of mature oak trees and smaller woody bushes, which provides an important corridor for wildlife between the two. A pond lies within the eastern pocket of woodland and provides a refuge for wildfowl such as ducks and coots, and is also home to rare Sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
moss and Marsh Cinquefoil.
An independent ecological survey was undertaken in 2004, which recommended several long term management tasks including for thinning, coppicing, introducing glades, improving dead wood resources, and managing weeds, brambles and non-native species. The survey was one of many undertaken borough wide as part of the Solihull Woodland Management Programme, which aims to provide a commitment to conserving and improving the various woodlands and parks within the borough. Active woodland management includes for Hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
coppicing
Coppicing
Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level...
, and the use of shire horse
Shire horse
The Shire horse is a breed of draught horse or draft horse . The breed comes in many colours, including black, bay and grey. They are a tall breed, with mares standing and over and stallions standing and over. The breed has an enormous capacity for weight pulling, and Shires have held the world...
s, as an alternative to damaging wheeled or tracked vehicles, for removing felled timber.