Cloud Wood
Details
Wildlife Highlights
Over 220 species of fern and flowering plant have been recorded here, including Herb Paris, Violet Helleborine and Greater Butterfly Orchid. There is a profusion of Common Spotted Orchids along the rides. In the spring the wood is carpeted in Wood Anenomes, Bluebells and Primroses. The bird life is not very diverse but there a number of butterflies of note, including Purple and White-letter Hairstreaks.
Description
This 33 hectare site is ancient woodland and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It stands on Keuper Marl and Boulder Clay and is one of the most floristically rich sites in the county. In the past it was a larger site standing on Carboniferous Limestone but this has since been quarried out. The woodland was clear-felled around the time of World War II but was allowed to regenerate naturally. It was donated to the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust in 1993 by Ennstone Breedon plc. The Trust has now reinstigated coppice management in parts of the site.
Latest Records
| Common Name | Latin Name | Date Recorded | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corticeus unicolor | 23/04/2012 | glfmaf14 | |
| Scarlet Pimpernel | Anagallis arvensis | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Anisotoma humeralis | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls | |
| Ringlet | Aphantopus hyperantus | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Alder Spittlebug | Aphrophora alni | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Argyresthia bonnetella | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls | |
| Turnip Sawfly | Athalia rosae | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Silver Y | Autographa gamma | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Long-horned Black Legionnaire | Beris geniculata | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Red-Tailed Bumblebee | Bombus lapidarius | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Common Carder Bumblebee | Bombus pascuorum | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Calocoris stysi | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls | |
| Giant Bellflower | Campanula latifolia | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| False Fox-sedge | Carex otrubae | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
| Pendulous Sedge | Carex pendula | 24/06/2011 | David Nicholls |
Getting There
Cloud Wood is in the north-west of Leicestershire, near to Breedon and adjacent to the road between Griffydam and Tongue. Visitors should park in the layby along this road.
