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Registered Charity
1071012
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Earl’s Court, Worcester |
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Old orchards were once a common feature throughout the countryside,
but small traditional orchards are increasingly rare. As well as
containing some of our rare fruit tree varieties, an orchard can be
a really valuable habitat for a wide range of species from fungi and
lichens, insects and other invertebrates, to birds and mammals
(small and not so small). The lack of herbicide use in most old
orchards, means that the range of species that can be found is often
even greater. With more intensive systems of fruit production, old
orchards can be under threat.
The old trees themselves play host to a variety of mosses, lichens
and often mistletoe. The hollowing trees can be fantastic for
hole-nesting birds. The large amount of deadwood in the trees
provides an important habitat for insects and fungi including some
very rare ones. For example, the Noble Chafer, Gnorimus nobilis, is
a UK priority beetle associated with old orchards. |
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