Veteran Trees and Saproxylic Invertebrates at Hylands Park
of the copper beech trees in the formal gardens). The dead trees would probably be worth
investigating for their beetles and at least one dead tree has the aut Lasius brunneus nesting in it.
Beech does not seem to thrive at Hylands, but new trees have been planted in some of the plantations,
presumably in the 1970s.
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is again rather scarce as a large standard tree. The old, possibly bundle-
planted pollard has provided the only record of the scarce weevil (Cossonus linearis) for Essex.
There are two very large, hollow standards - one near the Ice-House Plantation has a girth of 15ft
8ins (4.76m). Both trees would repay investigation for their beetle (and probably bat) inhabitants.
Other large standard Ash trees occur in Writtle Wood and Lightfoot Spring. Some sizeable Ash
coppice stools occur in parts of South Wood.
Some of the Hawthorns (Crataegus monogyna) in Roman Walk are now sizeable specimens. They
probably originated as bundle-plantings in the late 19* century. These thorns have provided a
record of the scarce Red-belted Clearwing Moth (Synanthedon myopaeformis).
Standard Trees - Native and Non-Native - Girthed at 1.3m
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) TL 68784 04320
Nr Ice House Plantation
15ft 8ins
4.78m
Nr Writtle Wood TL 68353 04761 llft 6ins 3.51m
Maple (Acer campestre) TL 68274 04717 5ft 5ins 1.64m
Writtle Wood
Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) TL 68406 03904 8ft 4ins 2.53m
Rook Plantation
Alder (Alnus glutinosa) TL 68374 04364 llft lins 3.37m
Formal Gardens
Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) TL 68365 04325 6ft 7ins 2.00m
Formal Gardens
Yew (Taxus baccata) TL 68414 04296 9ft 2ins 2.78m
Formal Gardens
Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron TL 68343 04428 16ft 4ins 4.98m
giganteum) Formal Gardens
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) TL 68533 04283 13ft 5ins 3.43m
Formal Gardens
Walnut (Juglans regia) TL 68929 04360 9ft llins 3.01m
By East Wall
Pyrenean Oak (Quercus pyrenaica)* TL 68048 03753 10ft 7ins 3.21m
Nr Lightfoot Spring
Wild Crab (Malus sylvestris) TL 67913 04218 6ft 4ins 1.92m
Nr South Wood
*This is probably the largest Pyrenean Oak in England.
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Essex Parks: Section 2 - Hylands Park