Entrance

The entrance to Three Hagges Woodmeadow is found on the left half way down the road that takes you off the A19 to the Hollicarrs Holiday Park.

There is ample, free visitor parking at Three Hagges Woodmeadow. The car park is situated opposite the entrance to the wood-meadow. Please note that the car park does have a gate. Please open the gate on arrival and then close behind you. An accessible car parking space is available at the entrance to the woodmeadow.

The path from our entrance gate to Bodgers’ Den is wheelchair friendly.

Pond

The pond is groundwater and rainwater fed, with gently-sloping bare sandy margins, fairly recently-created by excavating a sandy hollow. It sits at the furthest point at the far end of Three Hagges Woodmeadow.

• Species of interest:
  • Iris pseudacorus
  • Damselflies (Zygoptera)
  • Dragonflies (Anisoptera)

Bodgers' Den

• Bodgers' den was built by Ben Chester and his team in the summer of 2015. It is a traditional shelter made of materials found in the woodland.
• The technique used to create it was a hybrid between modern and traditional green methods.
• The bodgers’ den provides shelter and an excellent base for our school education visits, discovery days and volunteer days. The central firepit provides great warmth for hosting our evening barbeques and woodmeadow breakfasts.
• The bodgers’ den looks out over the Peterken meadow; the following recorded insects are of interest (Andrew Grayson report 2016):
  • Dolichovespula saxonica- known as the Saxon wasp- a common ‘social wasp’ established a nest under the roof of Bodgers’ den in 2016.
  • Red-tailed bumble bee (Bombus lapidaries)
  • The Devil’s coach-horse beetle (Ocypus olens)

Bee Hotel

• The bee hotel was constructed by a team of volunteers in the autumn/winter 2015-2016, and inspired by young ecologist Ryan Clark.
• It was built on a bed of pallets with a range of recycled materials such as bricks, bamboo canes, rubble, and floral foam with materials having a range of d ifferent sizes of perforations to suit different species of solitary bees.
• The turf roof was kindly donated by ‘Lindum turf’ meadow mix comprising of 28 species of meadow flowers seeded into recycled carpet.
• 20% of the numerous holes and canes were occupied in 2016
• In its first year in operation, the Bee Hotel proved rather successful in attracting nests of target bee and wasp communities, and attracting their parasites, including the ruby-tailed wasp Chrysis corusca, which has not yet been added to the British list; indeed, it’s discovery here is only the second or third British record (D. Chesmore, pers. comm.) (Andrew Grayson report 2016).

Orchard Copse

• Planted by a team of volunteers from the community on 1st December 2013, this copse contains an extensive planting of ‘fruiting’ trees.
• Plant species include
  • Sloe, blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
  • Hawthorn, (Crataegus laevigata)
  • Rowan, (Sorbus aucuparia)
  • Bird cherry, (Prunus padus)
  • Wild cherry, (Prunus avium)
  • Crab apple, (Malus sylvestris)
  • Bullace Prunus domestica subsp. (institia)

Bettys Copse

Bettys Copse was largely planted by the community on 1st December 2013 with a mixture of native fruit trees, such as cherries, crab apples and rowans at the sunny southern end near the Bodgers’ Den.

The copse was named in honour of Bettys generous support for the project – they enabled us to create the nursery area and the firepit in the Bodgers’ Den and brought many groups of volunteers to help with enhancing the meadow between 2014 and 2016

Felix Copse

• We were delighted to be able to name this copse after Felix Dennis (1947-2014) who generously supported us before his death.
• Felix Dennis was an English publisher (Oz, The Week), poet, spoken-word performer and philanthropist. He left instructions that the bulk of his £500 million fortune should go to the upkeep of his forest, The Heart of England Forest, in Warwickshire.
• Plant species include:
  • Small leaved lime (Tilia cordata)
  • Oak (Quercus rubra)
  • Hazel (Corylus avellana)

Jubilee Copse

• The very first tree of the woodmeadow was an ancient oak planted on 2.12.12. acknowledging the generous support of Persimmon Homes Yorkshire.
• A large proportion of the copse was then planted by members of the local community. This first copse was the only one planted in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Year of 2012.
• Having gained charitable status in April 2013 the site was renamed Three Hagges woodmeadow and the first copse ‘Jubilee Copse’.
• Wildflower seed was established under the trees in this copse post planting (unlike the rest of the site where ground flora was established pre planting) using a quad bike and fertilizer spreader; we suspect the dense flower in the early stages may have been due to the high seed rate.
• In November 2013 the copse was extended with many hazel planted by local school- children.
• Species in this wetter copse are:
  • Common alder (Alnus glutinosa)
  • Downy birch (Betula pubescens)
  • Hazel tree (Corylus avellana)
  • Oak (Quercus rubra)

Sessile Oak Copse

• This copse was planted by girls from Queen Margaret’s School.
• The sole species is sessile oak, Quercus petraea.
• The sessile oak is named for the fact that its acorns are not supported on stalks ('peduncles') as they are in the pedunculate oak (also known as common oak or English oak).

Plasmor Copse

Plasmor Copse was largely planted with a mixture of English Oak, small leaved Lime and Wych Elm. The copse was named in honour of Plasmor's generous support for the project – they enabled us to make the woodmeadow more accessible and helped us to purchase equipment to manage and enhance our woodmeadow.

Bone's Copse

• Planted on 24 November 2017 to help screen the pond from the A19 traffic.
• Named in honour of the enormous contribution to Three Hagges Woodmeadow that Pat and Jim Bone have made with wonderful photography, butterfly recording and their generosity.
• Plants include a 29 year-old oak that Pat had nurtured and pruned until it found a safe home…

Peterken Meadow (Lowland wet meadow)

• The Peterken meadow was originally sown with MG4 lowland seed mix Sanguisorba officinalis - Alopecurus pratensis (great burnet-meadow foxtail) grassland in early May 2013, into a stale seed bed.
• Named as such after our Patron and woodland ecologist Prof. George Peterken, who commented when he first visited the site that we appeared to be creating a 'woodmeadow'.
• MSc student Keith McSweeney carried out a NVC survey on this area in June 2017, which matched to vegetation classification MG4.
• The Peterken meadow is being monitored annually by means of fixed point quadrats for presence of vascular plant species and their percentage cover abundance. Plant species in this area include:
  • Greater bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus uliginosus)
  • Ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)
  • Yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor)
  • Common knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
  • Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)

Lowland dry meadow

• The lowland dry meadow was sown with MG5 lowland seed mix Cynosurus cristatus- Centaurea nigra (crested dog’s tail - common knapweed) grassland also in early May 2013.
• MG5 grasslands are characteristically species rich, ranging from 12-38 species in 4 m2 quadrat (Rodwell, 1992).
• MSc student Keith McSweeney carried out a NVC survey on this area in June 2017, which matched to vegetation classification MG5 (link to report and data).
• The MG5 meadow is also being monitored annually by means of fixed point quadrats for presence of vascular plant species and their percentage cover abundance (link to data). Plant species in this area include:
  • Common knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
  • Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
  • Bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
  • Lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum)
  • Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
  • Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolate)