Llandegfedd’s Natural Habitats
With its tapestry of grassland, woodland, scrub, and waterside environments, Llandegfedd Lake is haven for nature.
Woodland
Our woodlands are mainly oak, ash and beech but where trees have fallen or been removed, pioneer species such as birch are thriving.
A woodland understory of hazel and brambles provide excellent bird nesting habitat as well as food and shelter for small mammals.
Scrub
Scrub is often found where woodland starts or ends; or where woodland might develop (eg on unmanaged grassland or abandoned fields).
Scrub is generally vegetation dominated by bushes and shrubs like blackthorn and hawthorn with many stems, perhaps reaching to a height of around four metres – so that some sort of canopy develops.
Scrub is an extremely valuable habitat at Llandegfedd and one on which many of our species depend for their survival.
Grassland
The nationally significant grasslands along the lake’s northern edge are managed as hay meadows. Hay cutting encourages the spread of wild-flower seeds and improves biodiversity. The short grass left after hay has been removed is grazed by sheep to keep it low for grazing winter wildfowl.
These meadows are home to a variety of wildflowers, including bee orchid, southern marsh orchid, common spotted orchid, yellow rattle and rarer species like orange foxtail grass and adder’s-tongue fern.
In & Around The Water
The lake itself is home to a diverse fish population, including rainbow trout, bream, roach, pike and perch. Freshwater and sea lampreys have also been observed. Every spring, common toads make their way to the lake to breed.
