Birchanger Wood is an ancient wood of great beauty and character.  Famous for its bluebells which are unfortunately in decline because of over enthusiastic coppicing and trampling.   Spring also carpets the woods in a sea of wood anemones - an indicator of ancient woodland.  The anemones  are  holding their own despite the increase in brambles  caused by coppicing which lets in more summer sunlight.   Bluebells and anemones  flower in the early spring before  the leaf canopy of the trees  shades the ground.  Brambles  flower in the  summer  when the trees  are in full leaf.  So when the tree  canopy is  reduced by coppicing, more  sunlight reaches the ground flora and that favours the  brambles.   The hot sun tends to dry out the ground  too much and that is another reason why the bluebells are now in massive decline.   The present management of Birchanger Wood  could be seen to be doing more harm than good.

It would indeed be a tragedy if coppicing and general tidying up was to change the character of the wet flushes  alongside the stream.  Here can be found the Golden Saxifrage. It is the opposite leaved form and not at all common in eastern England.

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