Autumn mist, Standish Wood

Standish Wood is in Gloucestershire, near Stroud. It comprises 103 acres of mixed (mostly deciduous) woodland, and it lies on a spur of the Cotswold escarpment. Because of its elevation, the wood also offers fine views of the River Severn, and the surrounding hills. In Spring, the area is well-known for bluebells and other wild flowers.

But this is early Autumn, and mist lies low over Standish Wood and the Iron Age fort of Haresfield Beacon. In this peculiar atmosphere, sounds are hushed. The sound of a scurrying squirrel is alarming – wild boar have been reported. Note the peculiar rosiness of the light in the distance. Like every ancient place, there are secrets here.

The National Trust and Standish Wood

The National Trust manages Standish Wood, doing its best to reduce the risk of the wild. On its website it refers to ragwort as a ‘wildflower nasty’ – this is a plant that is in the top 10 of nectar producers in the UK, and which provides food and a home to at least 77 insects – 7 of which are nationally scarce. Ragwort is most likely to be consumed in dried hay, when it presents a significant danger to livestock, but it is not a ‘nasty’. The trust can do better than this.

Fungus and risk

The trust also manages the wood, sending out teams of tree surgeons to cut down diseased branches and fell rotten trees. It wouldn’t be a good thing someone to be killed or injured by falling timber, but the removal of risk takes away other things, such as respect for the natural world.

You might also be interested in this painting of the River Wey and this riverbank.