Luxulyan Valley Rangers Photo Diary

We are incredibly lucky that our special valley is so well looked after by Ranger Jenny Heskett and Lengthsman Don Simler, who undertake a whole host of responsibilities to keep the site open to the public and improve the habitat for wildlife.

From her regular visits to the site Jenny often collects a photo record of happenings and its natural changes through the seasons. Here are some of the recent images, chronically the valley coming through Spring.

Bluebells and fresh green leaves (09/06/2023):

The beloved show of bluebells has lasted into early summer this year, carpeting the floor of our rare temperate rainforest. They are an indicator of ancient woodland, with millions of bulbs persisting underground only to raise their nodding heads throughout April and May. As well as being highly attractive they are also scented and provide an early nectar source for our pollinators.

The shaded forest floor and understory is also home to a plethora of mosses, lichens and ferns (over 40 species recorded). The Lady Ferns have now unfurled, like a protective shield over the herbs and flowers that would be destroyed by footfall.

A resting place (09/06/2023):

Over the past two years, the Luxulyan Valley has benefitted from a programme of capital enhancements, including a resurfaced carpark, programme of repairs to the leats, installation of a trail of interpretation boards and new furniture at key locations to sit and take in the surroundings. This bench under the viaduct is a lovely spot to rest and this image shows the wood anemone at its feet. The star-shaped flowers of Anemonoides nemorosa dot the forest floor and edges early spring. There are many myths associated with this little but widespread flower; including that they grow where Aphrodite’s tears fell and named after the Greek good of wind, their appearance was also believed to forebear his coming.

A tree on the path (09/06/2023):

With its steep valley sides, windblow and natural decline regularly brings trees down. Where they fall in the woodland, they’ll remain with little attention from Jenny, but where they land across the various permissive paths that run through the site, she’ll be making sure the route is reopened as soon as possible. Timber is retained on site to provide valuable deadwood habitat, which underpins the forest food web as decomposers slowly but surely return the nutrient building blocks of life to the very start of the cycle, in the soil.