Introduction
The extent of British Woodland is on the increase and, despite the lack of ancient woodland, the woodland ecosystem provides reach biodiversity. The animals and plants within these woodlands are often referred to as flora and fauna.
Flora – Flora is a derivative of a Latin word meaning goddess of the flower. Nowadays this term is used to refer to any plant life that grows or once grew within a given ecosystem.
Fauna – The history of this word isn’t exactly known. In Roman Mythology Fauna refers to the goddess of fertility. However, Fauna has also been linked to fauns, meaning forest spirits. The word is now used to refer to any animal life that lived or once lived within a given ecosystem.
When visiting wooded areas regularly or on a one off visit it is important to have a good knowledge of flora and fauna. When regularly using wooded spots it is worth cataloguing the Forna so that you have a knowledge of all plants in the area. In this section you will learn about identification of Flora and Fauna and its importance.