Knebworth Woods is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in

Knebworth Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England, immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden ...

, immediately south of Stevenage in Hertfordshire. The planning authority is

North Hertfordshire District Council North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

. The wood is ancient in origin and ecologically diverse. It is described by

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

as "a most important woodland in the north of the county lying on poorly drained soils derived from underlying clay-with-flints". The dominant trees are oak and hornbeam. Ponds have unusual plant species, and the site is rich in fungi and bryophytes. Breeding birds include

nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...

s, and

purple emperor ''Apatura iris'', the purple emperor, is a Palearctic butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Description Adults have dark brown wings with white bands and spots, and a small orange ring on each of the hindwings. Males have a wingspan of , an ...

butterflies have been reported in Watery Grove in the north of the site. There is access by a footpath which is a continuation of Chadwell Road.

References

{{coord, 51.8857, -0.2172 , type:landmark_region:GB-BNE, display=title Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hertfordshire Forests and woodlands of Hertfordshire Knebworth

See also

References