Key Habitats and Species
Country Park woodland
The woodland of the Country Park is chiefly of Corsican pine, planted in 1965 with a few Scots pine, beech and other deciduous trees. Gradually the pines are being replaced with ash, oak, alder and other native broadleaved species.
During the nesting season the woods are alive with bird song. Willow warbler, blackcap, chaffinch, redpoll, and blue, great and coal tits are common. Other birds include treecreeper, goldcrest, wren, long-tailed tit and great spotted woodpecker. Tawny owl and barn owl are frequent visitors and sparrowhawk and kestrel can often be seen.
Peasam Hill
This area of the Reserve was fenced off to allow grazing to be restored. This encourages plants that like a short turf. In the absence of grazing dense vegetation shades out such sensitive plants.
Wildflowers include common spotted orchid, ragged robin, meadowsweet and lady's smock and, in the wetter areas beneath the spring line, water avens, marsh bedstraw, watercress and water figwort. Snipe were once common, though are now a rare sight, but meadow pipit and reed bunting breed here.
Central Ponds
These man-made ponds have been quickly colonised by dragonflies, damselflies, frogs and toads. Moorhens breed here and occasionally a heron can be seen fishing.
Recent plantings of shrubs such as alder buckthorn and guelder rose attract berry eating birds such as starlings and finches in the autumn. The buckthorn is also the food plant of the brimstone butterfly, this obvious "butter-coloured fly" seen in spring and summer. Marsh marigold, water forget-me-not and water mint all grow well here.
Periwinkle Wood
This is an area of woodland planted in 1974, consisting of oak, beech, ash, Scots and Corsican pine, and larch. The pine and larch are slowly being thinned out to allow the broadleaved species to florish.
Furze Hill
This small nature reserve of the Lincolnshire Trust is a wonderful place for butterflies: peacock, painted lady, holly blue and small tortoiseshell are just a few that feed here, especially on thistles and bramble. Owls, treecreepers, whitethroat linnets and many other finches feed and breed here.
The site of an old watermill can also be found amongst the undergrowth. Nearby, growing over the stream is a venerable old willow.
Link Path to Furze Hill and Sow Dale
Beckside Meadow
This extension to the Snipe Dales Country Park and Nature Reserve was purchased by the Lincolnshire Trust in 1991. It is being restored as a wildflower meadow.
Oak Wood
One of the new areas of broadleaved woodland planted in 1988. This predominantly oak wood with some small leaved lime, hornbeam and ash, will help to shape the future look of Snipe Dales, as the pines are slowly thinned and replaced. The open nature of this area provides a good hunting ground for owls, kestrel and sparrowhawk.
