Cow Plantation

About the Site

Cow Plantation is an area of birch woodland that was planted on farmland in the 19th century. There is also an area of ancient woodland that dates back to medieval times along the Valley Burn on the western side of the plantation.

The birch trees that dominate the bulk of the plantation can be recognised by their silvery white coloured bark. The small, delicate leaves of birch produce a lovely dappled light effect on a sunny summer’s day.

Wide, grassy woodland paths run throughout the site and these provide an excellent growing place for plants such as common bird’s-foot trefoil and devil’s-bit scabious.

Bird’s-foot trefoil is a rather sprawling plant that flowers throughout most of the summer. It is sometimes called ‘eggs and bacon’ on account of its bright yellow and orange flowers that resemble egg yolk. Another name for it is ‘grannie’s toe nails’ which originates from the long claw-like seed pods that are produced after flowering. Devil’s-bit scabious (also sometimes called ‘bobby bright buttons’) produces round violet-blue flowers which are much deeper in colour than the flowers of the more common field scabious.

The main tree species in the ancient woodland are mature oak, ash and beech. The leaves of the beech trees turn a bright orange colour in the autumn and fall to cover the woodland floor. Beech trees have densely arranged leaves that grow from the twigs at a flattened angle which means that very little light or water is able to penetrate their canopy. Moisture-loving plants can be seen growing in a ring around beech trees where the water drips down off the edge of their canopy. Plants found growing beneath the trees are typical of ancient woodland, with species such as wood avens, wood sorrel and dog’s mercury. The leaves of wood-sorrel may be mistaken for those of clover but with closer inspection around Easter time its delicate, veined white flowers can be seen.

Bird life is abundant in Cow Plantation with species such as treecreeper, nuthatch and great spotted woodpecker. Treecreepers can be seen scurrying up tree trunks, helped by claw-like tips on the tail feathers, in search of spiders and small insects. These are not to be confused with nuthatch that may be seen scurrying down the tree trunks. You are also likely to hear the familiar drumming sound made by the great spotted woodpeckers as they peck at the bark of trees in search of insects.

Cow Plantation

Location

Cow Plantation is situated within the town of Spennymoor. The site is bounded by the Valley Burn to the west and lies to the north of Wood Vue. It can be accessed from a number of points including two entrances from Wood Vue, and also from Middleham Walk.

The grid reference is NZ257348.

Facilities

None.

Enquiries

Spennymoor Town Council
Town Hall
Spennymoor
County Durham
DL16 6DG
Tel: 01388 815276