| Melwood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Local Nature Reserve |
| Location | Meldreth, Cambridgeshire, England |
| OS grid | TL 378 459 |
| Area | 0.6 hectares |
| Managed by | Melwood Conservation Group |
Melwood is a 0.6 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Meldreth in Cambridgeshire, England. It is owned by Cambridgeshire County Council and managed by the Melwood Conservation Group. [1] [2]
Meldreth is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, located around 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Cambridge. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 1,783.
Cambridgeshire is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. The city of Cambridge is the county town. Modern Cambridgeshire was formed in 1974 as an amalgamation of the counties of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely and Huntingdon and Peterborough, the former covering the historic county of Cambridgeshire and the latter covering the historic county of Huntingdonshire and the Soke of Peterborough, historically part of Northamptonshire. It contains most of the region known as Silicon Fen.
Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council of Cambridgeshire, England. The council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The Conservative Party took control of the council at the 2017 election after four years of no party having overall control. The council meets at Shire Hall in Cambridge. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.
This is a woodland site next to the River Mel, with trees such as ash, hawthorn, sycamore, beech and silver birch. Ground flora include dog violet and cow parsley, while traveller's joy provides food for moths. Tawny owls and pipistrelle bats roost on ivy. [3]
Viola riviniana, the common dog-violet, is a species of the genus Viola native to Eurasia and Africa. It is also called wood violet and dog violet. It is a perennial herb of woodland edges, grassland and shady hedge banks. It is found in all soils except acid or very wet.
Clematis vitalba is a shrub of the Ranunculaceae family.
The tawny owl or brown owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants. The nest is typically in a tree hole where it can protect its eggs and young against potential predators. This owl is non-migratory and highly territorial. Many young birds starve if they cannot find a vacant territory once parental care ceases.
There is access by a footpath from Flambards Close.
