Rhos Cwmdar

An expanse of marshy rhos pasture, acid grassland and woodland in Dare Valley Country Park where you’ll find snipe, woodcock, cuckoos, orb-weavers and small pearl-bordered fritillaries amongst the purple moor-grass and rushes.

Cuckoo | © Wayne Withers

Habitat

Here you will find a wonderful expanse of marshy (rhos) pasture, acid grassland and woodland. You may see our cows grazing in these fields – they are an important and traditional method of managing grassland to conserve the rich diversity of wildflowers found here.

When to Visit

In the spring, cuckoos call and tree pipits trill, while bluebells flower on the hillside. The summer is a great time for seeing an abundance of beautiful wildflowers and insects. Come in the autumn to witness the spectrum of colour-change, as purple moor-grass turns orange and then white, and oak trees turn from green to russet. On a winter walk you may surprise feeding snipe and woodcock, or even a sleeping fox.

Biodiversity

Greater bird’s-foot trefoil, ragged robin, marsh violet, devil’s-bit scabious, and jointed and compact rushes are a small selection of the wonderful plant life in this rhos pasture. It’s also home to four-spot orb-weaver spiders, small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies, golden-ringed dragonflies, field mice, and night-time bats. Polecats and stoats forage along the woodland edges, and kestrels hunt for voles. Scattered amongst the tormentil and heath bedstraw of this acid grassland you’ll also find statuesque ancient anthills.