Habitat type: Woodland
Size of reserve: 16 hectares / 40 acres
OS map number: 104
Grid reference: SW 640 376 (main entrance off B3303)
Best time to visit: Spring and summer
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Directions
From the B3303, 2 miles (3 km) south of Camborne, visitors will find the entrance on the left.
Access
Dogs are not allowed. Limited parking; the tracks around the reserve can be wet and muddy.
Characteristic wildlife of this reserve
The yellow brimstone is often the first butterfly to be seen in spring. It generally lives for a year and pairing in early spring is followed by a long courtship. The pale green eggs darken to yellow before the caterpillars hatch. The male's wings are a strong sulphur yellow, their hindwings have an orange spot and the underwing is greenish-veined, while the female is similarly marked, but in more delicate shades.
From late April into May, the woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells. Few colours can rival that of the massed bell-shaped flowers with their delicate fragrance. Sometimes called wild hyacinth, the bluebell is a member of the lily family and grows from a bulb. The bluebell is only native to the lands fringing the Atlantic.
The spotted flycatcher is a common summer visitor and easily identified by its upright posture and use of a regular perch from which it launches itself to catch insects on the wing. The adult bird has a plain plumage, grey-brown on top and paler below with a streaked breast and crown.
Other information
Pendarves was an important late 18th century country house, replacing residences dating back to the 16th century). The wood was planted and a lake created in the 19th century. During the Second World War, the site was used as an American base. After this, the mansion was demolished and the estate abandoned to the wild. Now owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, the reserve is managed in partnership by the Trust and Camborne Town Council.
Unfortunately, invasive weeds such as parrot’s feather have been put into the lake by gardening DIYers and these are proving difficult to eradicate.
