Fungi

We have discovered, while working in the park, that there are fungi at all times in the park not just in the Autumn. In fact we have a “fungi of the week” spot in the Friends of Prince of Wales park news letter. We have even now got a specialist who can tell us about the ones we have found

  

Plants and Trees

There are up to 100 wild plants and trees that have been recorded in the park such as enchanters nightshade, sorrel and woodavens that support wildlife. Grasses include Yorkshire-fog and Wavy Bitter-cress. Trees include Oak, Sycamore, Horse-chestnut, Rowen, Yew, Beech, Hazel, Elm and Scots Pine.  Please look at the Yorkshire Ecology Report for the whole species list. Links are at the bottom of this page.

Holly, ivy and brambles are present in the park but these we manage as, though invasive, they are particularly important for wildlife. Holly is the food plant of the holly blue butterfly in spring and Ivy its food in summer. Ivy flowers attract insects and provide nectar for late butterflies. The cover they provide is important for birds, small mammals and insects as well as flowers and fruit for food. Local deer populations, mostly Roe, feed almost exclusively on bramble leaves in woodlands.

 There are a lot of attractive native wild flowers in the spring if you look carefully through out the park. Along with our horticulture group we are in the process of creating a small wild flower meadow in the grass at the bottom of the park by Lady Lane. The seeds were donated from Kew Gardens by Grow Wild.