Crugkern Barn - Cot Valley
Crugkern Wildlife
The land and gardens around Crugkern are managed in such a way as to maximise the opportunities for wildlife. We have aimed to create, or retain, as many contrasting habitats as possible.
We have deliberately left some areas as what we affectionately call ‘the wilderness’ – a mixture of bracken, gorse, brambles and grass. Paths lead up to this from the Barn, and the undisturbed nature of this area offers opportunities not found elsewhere in the gardens.
The River Cot has it’s source here and runs through the gardens offering yet more wildlife opportunities.
The undisturbed nature of the Wilderness means that creatures which prefer a bit of peace and quiet can often be seen here. We encourage them by placing lumps of wood, slates and apparently random sheets of old corrugated iron around the place to provide warmth and shelter.
Adders, Slow Worms and Lizards are frequent visitors to the wilderness, and we often see Frogs and Toads under the slates or iron sheets.
We have placed a range of bird feeders strategically around the grounds and get a huge variety of birds visiting these or passing over the gardens. The Barn Garden has its own bird table and feeders, and there is a good view of this from the Barn window when sitting up in bed. A pair of binoculars and a bird identification sheet (to take home with you if you wish) are provided so you can see what to look out for.
The variety of natural habitats, together with walls, water, rockeries, borders and beds in the gardens encourage a range of insects too.
A number of different butterflies can frequently be seen, and the stream and pond attract a range of damsel and dragonflies.
The numbers of insects, both large and small, attract other creatures day and night. Swallows swoop over the fields and hedges, and bats whoosh past in the dusk searching for an easy meal.
