Piddles Wood

Last updated

Piddles Wood
  • Puttekwurth
  • Putteleswurthe
  • Hanging Ground
View towards Fiddleford and Piddles Wood - geograph.org.uk - 437962.jpg
A view towards Fiddleford and Piddles Wood
Piddles Wood
Type Woodland
Location Dorset, England
Nearest town Sturminster Newton
Coordinates 50°54′57″N2°17′31″W / 50.915695°N 2.291861°W / 50.915695; -2.291861 Coordinates: 50°54′57″N2°17′31″W / 50.915695°N 2.291861°W / 50.915695; -2.291861
Area62.2 hectares (154 acres)
Status SSSI

Piddles Wood is a small area of woodland south of the River Stour, Dorset, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). [1] The site was notified as an SSSI in 1985. [1] The nearest settlement is the town of Sturminster Newton. The local planning authority is North Dorset District Council and Dorset County Council, but part of the site is managed by the Dorset Naturalists' Trust. [1]

Contents

Piddles Wood was first documented in the 13th century as Puttekwurth [2] and Putteleswurthe. [3] A "wurth" is an enclosure, and "Pyttel" was an Old English surname, so the name could mean "Pyttel's enclosure". [4] However, another etymology is possible as "puttoc" is an Old English word for a kite, [5] with "pyttel" or "piddle" also being used. [4] It is also known as "Hanging Ground". [6]

The area of the site is 62.2 hectares (154 acres). [1] Woodlands in North Dorset are scarce, and Piddles Wood is one of only a handful of such sites. [7] Due to the heavy neutral and lighter acid soil types—caused by the underlying Kimmeridge Clay and Plateau Gravels [1] —the site has a varying woodland flora, containing broadleaved, mixed and yew lowland. [8] However, it is dominated by oak and coppiced hazel—for which reason the site was listed as an SSSI—and its flora and fauna is typical of oak woodland in Dorset. [1] Piddles Wood has an abundance of ground flora, including woodruff ( Galium odoratum ), sanicle (Sanicula europaea), early purple orchid ( Orchis mascula ), wood spurge ( Euphorbia amygdaloides ) and orpine ( Sedum telephium ). The site is also very rich for insect fauna, and among the butterflies found on the site are the white admiral ( Limenitis camilla ), wood white ( Leptidea sinapis ) and silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia); [1] it was previously home to the pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne), although this is now believed to be extinct in Dorset. [9] Adjacent to the edge of the site is an extensive poultry farm, containing approximately 100,000 birds. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

Sturminster Newton Human settlement in England

Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It is situated on a low limestone ridge in a meander of the River Stour. The town is at the centre of a large dairy agriculture region, around which the town's economy is built. The larger part of the town (Sturminster) lies on the north side of the river, and includes most shops and services, whilst to the south is the smaller Newton. Between these two areas is a wide flood plain. The town was the home of poet and author William Barnes, and, for part of his life, Thomas Hardy. The town has 43 shops, a primary and secondary school, and a school and college catering for children with special educational needs. In the 2011 census the town's civil parish had a population of 4,945

Buckland Newton Human settlement in England

Buckland Newton is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated beneath the scarp slope of the Dorset Downs, 7 1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) south of Sherborne. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 622. The village covers around 6000 acres.

North Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)

North Dorset is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Simon Hoare, a Conservative.

Long Dole Wood and Meadows SSSI

Long Dole Wood and Meadows SSSI is a 9.8 hectares biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) between the villages of Farrington Gurney and Hinton Blewitt in Bath and North East Somerset, notified in 1987.

Cogley Wood

Cogley Wood is a 60.7 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Bruton in Somerset, notified in 1987.

Ruttersleigh

Ruttersleigh is a 97 hectares biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Buckland St Mary and Staple Fitzpaine on the north-facing slope of the Blackdown Hills. in Somerset, notified in 1991.

Garston Wood

Garston Wood is a 34-hectare (84-acre) woodland nature reserve on the border between Dorset and Wiltshire in England, around 3 km (2 mi) north of the village of Sixpenny Handley, owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to protect species living in the region. The reserve is a mixture of ancient woodland and managed coppices and scrubland. To help maintain the park, the RSPB sets annual population targets for certain breeding pairs of birds, and manages the forest by clearing out taller and non-native trees.

Dymock Woods SSSI

Dymock Woods is a 53-hectare (130-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1990. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).

Hog Cliff

Hog Cliff is a national nature reserve (NNR) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south east of Maiden Newton, Dorset and north-west of Dorchester. It was notified as an SSSI in 1981. The site is also part of the much larger Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is adjacent to the Court Farm, Sydling SSSI.

Nagshead SSSI

Nagshead is a 120.12-hectare (296.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and is located near Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and was notified in 1972. It lies within the Forest of Dean Forest Park and is part held as a reserve by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The SSSI is a relatively small area of the much larger nature reserve of RSPB Nagshead, which is a 1,250 acres (510 ha) site owned and managed by the RSPB and the Forestry Commission. The SSSI lies to the east of the Nagshead Plantation and consists of two units of assessment by Natural England.

Highbury Wood

Highbury Wood is a 50.74-hectare (125.4-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1983.

Duncliffe Wood

Duncliffe Wood is an ancient woodland on the summit of Duncliffe Hill, a few miles west of Shaftesbury. The area of the site is 92.16 hectares, making it one of the largest ancient woodlands in North Dorset.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Piddles Wood (SSSI citation)" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Roberts, James (1995). Walking in Dorset. p. 66. ISBN   185284180X.
  3. ↑ Mills, Anthony David (1989). The hundreds of Redlane, Sixpenny Handley, Sturminster Newton, Whiteway, Buckland Newton, Brownsall, Sherborne. p. 192.
  4. 1 2 Mills, Anthony David (1989). The hundreds of Redlane, Sixpenny Handley, Sturminster Newton, Whiteway, Buckland Newton, Brownsall, Sherborne. p. 193.
  5. ↑ Reaney, P. H. (1991). Dictionary of English Surnames. p. 2558. ISBN   041505737X.
  6. ↑ Guttridge, Roger. "A Dorset Life for Me" (June 2012).Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ↑ "A Guide to the Countryside of Rural Dorset" (PDF). Dorset County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  8. 1 2 Mark A. Sutton; Samantha, M. H.; Baker, Stefan Reis (2009). Atmospheric Ammonia: Detecting Emission Changes and Environmental Impacts : Results of an Expert Workshop Under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. Springer. pp. 60, 271. ISBN   9781402091216.
  9. ↑ "Metalmarks and Fritillaries". Butterfly Conservation. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.