Woodland Species

The Red Wood Ant builds large mounds in deciduous woodlands to form the nest for the colony. The ants can be 1cm in length and are carnivorous, hunting out other insects. They are only found in a few undisturbed woodlands in the National Park and they favour open clearings so that the nest mound can catch the sun and keep the ants warm and active.

The Waved carpet moth has recently been found at a site within the National Park for the first time in more than 70 years. The caterpillars of this small moth feeds on alder, birches and willows and can most usually be found in damp, coppiced woodlands.

Download the Waved Carpet moth factsheet from Butterfly Conservation.

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is the smallest of the three woodpeckers in Wales and also the rarest. Small, quiet and elusive it can be found in the highest parts of the woodland canopy, searching for insects, or softly drumming on a tree.

Read more on the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the RSPB website.

The Spotted Flycatcher arrives in the UK in May and can often be found along woodland edges where it waits for passing insects before flying out to take them. Its numbers have reduced dramatically in recent years and it is now rarely seen within the National Park

Read more on the Spotted Flycatcher on the RSPB website.