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Part of the RCT Living Landscape Project

Parc y Aberdare

This Living Landscape site is a small section on the western edge of Aberdare Park. It’s ideal invertebrate habitat where you’ll see hoverflies, dragonflies, and butterflies.

 

Parc-Aberdar
Pied-Wagtail
Pied Wagtail © Wayne Withers

Habitat

Darran Park has ancient roots. Llyn y Forwyn (Maiden's Pool) is famed in Welsh legend, and surrounding it are towering crags with an ancient oak, alder, and hazel woodland. These veteran trees, which are cloaked in mosses, liverworts, lichens and ferns, are a wonderful example of a Celtic rainforest, a special type of Welsh woodland.

When to Visit

Come in the spring for birdsong and woodland wildflowers. Colourful woodland fungi make an appearance in the autumn, when trees also turn beautifully orange, red and yellow. The wet and cool of winter is the best time to enjoy the array of mosses and liverworts here, and when you can hear ravens ‘cronking’ overhead.

Biodiversity

The drumming of greater-spotted woodpeckers, the ‘chiff-chaffing’ of chiffchaffs, and the trilling of wood warblers are all part of woodland’s springtime melody. Noctule bats roost in the holes and crevices of trees and emerge at dusk to feed on flying insects. Peregrines soar along the steep cliffs above the park, so don’t forget to look up! If you spot leafy lichens growing on twigs and tree trunks, then this is a sign of clean air. Below the ancient trees you’ll see a wonderful ground flora consisting of wood sorrel, heather, bilberry, wavy hair-grass, as well as hart's-tongue, broad buckler, and male ferns.

We Live Here... Can You Spot Us?

Yellow-Barred-Peat-Hoverfly

Yellow-Barred Peat Hoverfly - © Liam Olds

Azure-Damselfly

Azure Damselfly - © Wayne Withers

Goldfinch-2

Goldfinch - © Tate Lloyd

Devils-Bit-Scabious

Devil's-Bit Scabious - © Bethan Dalton

Common-Birds-Foot-Trefoil

Common Bird's-Foot Trefoil - © Bethan Dalton

Common-Blue

Common Blue - © Wayne Withers

Tawny-Mining-Bee

Tawny Mining Bee - © Liam Olds

Common-Darters

Common Darters - © Wayne Withers