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King's Wood and Urchin Wood SSSI () is a 128.1
. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
Large areas of King's Wood were replanted during the 1960s with beech Fagus sylvatica and a variety of conifer species including Douglas fir ''(Pseudotsuga menziesii)'', Lawson's cypress ''(Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)'' and Norway spruce ''(Picea abies)'' . These crop trees have, however, largely been unsuccessful and the replanted areas are now being overtaken by hardwoods.
King's Wood supports nationally important populations of the rare and endangered
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...
biological Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
near the villages of Cleeve and Congresbury
Congresbury is a village and civil parish on the northwestern slopes of the Mendip Hills in North Somerset, England, which in 2011 had a population of 3,497. It lies on the A370 between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport, south of Bri ...
, North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the ...
, notified in 1990.
The site has long been renowned for its botanical interest and records date back to the County Flora of 1893. The woodland supports a particularly high diversity of vascular plants, including populations of the nationally rare plant Purple Gromwell ''(Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum
''Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum'' (syn. ''Buglossoides purpurocaerulea''), the purple gromwell, is a herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant of the genus '' Lithospermum'', belonging to the family Boraginaceae.
Etymology
The Latin name of the s ...
)'' and the scarce Angular Solomon's seal ''(Polygonatum odoratum
''Polygonatum odoratum'' ( syn. ''P. officinale''), the angular Solomon's seal or scented Solomon's seal, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, China, Mongolia ...
)''.English Nature citation sheet for the site. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
Large areas of King's Wood were replanted during the 1960s with beech Fagus sylvatica and a variety of conifer species including Douglas fir ''(Pseudotsuga menziesii)'', Lawson's cypress ''(Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)'' and Norway spruce ''(Picea abies)'' . These crop trees have, however, largely been unsuccessful and the replanted areas are now being overtaken by hardwoods.
King's Wood supports nationally important populations of the rare and endangered greater horseshoe bat
The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an insectivorous bat of the genus '' Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe an ...
''(Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)'' and dormice
A dormouse is a rodent of the family Gliridae (this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their long, dormant hibe ...
''(Muscardinus avellanarius)'', and a nationally scarce Chrysomelid beetle ''(Clytra quadripunctata)''.
References
{{SSSIs Avon biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Somerset Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1990 Forests and woodlands of Somerset Woodland Sites of Special Scientific Interest