Piggy Wood is a Local Nature Reserve on the northern outskirts of

Bracknell Bracknell () is a large town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the Bracknell Forest, Borough of Bracknell Forest. It l ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. It is owned and managed by Bracknell Forest Borough Council.

Geography and site

This site is ancient woodland, with a stream that feeds The Cut. There is access from Howell Close and Newport Drive.

History

The name of the site is thought to come from the time of the Reformation, where the term 'pig' was a derogatory term for a priest. To escape from persecution, priests from Hurley Church were said to have hidden in the wood. The site was adopted by the Bracknell Forest council in 1998. In 2002 the site was declared as a local nature reserve by Bracknell Forest Borough Council.

Flora

The site has the following flora:

Plants

*'' Geum urbanum'' *''

Anemone nemorosa ''Anemonoides nemorosa'' (syn. ''Anemone nemorosa''), the wood anemone, is an early-spring flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Other common names include windflower, European thimbleweed, and smell fox, an all ...

'' *''

Hyacinthoides non-scripta ''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'' (formerly ''Endymion non-scriptus'' or ''Scilla non-scripta'') is a bulbous perennial plant, found in Atlantic areas from north-western Spain to the British Isles, and also frequently used as a garden plant. It is ...

'' *''

Caltha palustris ''Caltha palustris'', known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium size perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It flower ...

References

{{Local Nature Reserves in Berkshire Local Nature Reserves in Berkshire Warfield