Districts:
West Oxfordshire Parishes
Cornbury and Wychwood
The following wildlife habitats fall within this parish. They are listed according to their associated landscape type or local character area.
If you want more information about any of the sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) listed below, take a look at English Nature's Nature on the Map website. It may also be possible to find out a bit more about the unnamed wildlife habitats in the parish by contacting the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (owls@oxfordshire.gov.uk) and quoting the site code next to the habitat description.
The majority of these wildlife habitats are on private land and access to them is not possible without permission of the landowner, unless there is a statutory right of way. However, many wildlife habitats in the county are open to the public. More information on these can be obtained from the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum.
Wildlife Habitats
Wooded Farmland
Site Code: 30I01/2
Area: 530.5ha
Wychwood SSSI
Wychwood is the largest single area of woodland in Oxfordshire. This historic ancient woodland is the largest wooded remnant of Wychwood Forest, which once covered much of this part of the County. Broadleaved woodland such as this is a national priority for nature conservation.
The main trees are oak, ash and field maple, which display a great variation in age. There are wide grassy woodland tracks, springs and marshy areas and a bank of limestone grassland. The site also includes a group of lakes in Cornbury Park. There is a great diversity of wildflowers, lower plants (mosses, liverworts, lichens and fungi), insects and other invertebrates, There are many rare species some of which are found in few other sites in Britain.