Coed y Crychydd

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 52.3494, -3.9981

Also within

Dyfed County

Description

Description The major part of this wood consists of well developed maiden trees of sessile oak Quercus petraea and beech Fagus sylvatica reaching 30 metres (100 feet) in height. Isolated groups of sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus and larch Larix europea also occur. The south-eastern portion is secondary in origin and consists of a dense regrowth of young ash Fraxinus excelsior. The wood is chiefly of ornithological interest, containing a wide range of breeding birds and a sizeable heronry (heron). The remarkable combination of species breeding here is not known to occur in any other wood in Ceredigion.

Species mentioned

English name
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Latin name
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IUCN / Red List Type Family
sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus Not listed in GB list tree aceraceae
beech Fagus sylvatica LC tree fabiaceae
ash Fraxinus excelsior LC tree oleaceae
sessile or durmast oak Quercus petraea LC tree fagaceae

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

SpeciesStatusVia host-plant
Oak lutestring
Cymatophorina diluta
Endangered Quercus petraea
Scarce vapourer
Orgyia recens
Endangered Fagus sylvatica, Quercus spp.
The sprawler
Asteroscopus sphinx
Vulnerable Fagus sylvatica, Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus spp.
Mottled umber
Erannis defoliaria
Vulnerable Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus spp.
The lackey
Malacosoma neustria
Vulnerable Quercus spp.
Pale brindled
Phigalia pilosaria
Vulnerable Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus spp.
Early moth
Theria primaria
Vulnerable Quercus spp.
Pale eggar
Trichiura crataegi
Vulnerable Quercus spp.
Oak hook-tip
Watsonalla binaria
Vulnerable Quercus petraea
Flounced chestnut
Agrochola helvola
Near Threatened Quercus spp.
Large thorn
Ennomos autumnaria
Near Threatened Acer pseudoplatanus, Quercus spp.
September thorn
Ennomos erosaria
Near Threatened Fagus sylvatica, Quercus spp.
Dusky thorn
Ennomos fuscantaria
Near Threatened Fraxinus excelsior
Double dart
Graphiphora augur
Near Threatened Quercus spp.
Clay fan-foot
Paracolax tristalis
Near Threatened Quercus spp.
Frosted green
Polyploca ridens
Near Threatened Quercus petraea

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.