Hannaston Wood

Also within

The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright County

Condition (NatureScot)

Habitats

Ancient woodland

Description

HANNASTON WOOD Hannaston Wood SSSI, lying approximately 2 km northwest of St John’s Town of Dalry, is mainly a mixed deciduous woodland with oak dominant as well as ash, wych elm and hazel present, but which also contains various non-native tree species. The diverse ground flora and the rich lichen flora contain species which are indicative of ancient woodland. The wood is important for its lichen communities which grow on or in bark (corticolous) and those on dead or debarked wood (lignicolous), including one nationally rare species Lecidea sanguineoatra and several Lobarion community species scarce in southwest Scotland including Mycobilimbia sphaeroides, Loxospora elatina, Parmeliella triptophylla, Peltigera collina, Sticta cf. sylvatica. The Garroch Burn flows through the site and provides suitable habitat for luxuriant communities of mosses and liverworts. In the southwest of the site the lower slopes of the wood grade into a small area of herb-rich neutral grassland, with uncommon species such as globe flower Trollius europaeus and various orchids, including heath spotted orchid Dactylorhiza maculata. The woodland diversity gives rise to a number of woodland habitats which favour an extensive list of breeding bird species. In addition, the woods and grassland are generally rich in invertebrates, some of which, particularly beetles Coleoptera and snails Mollusca, are locally rare and restricted to ancient woodland sites.

Species mentioned