It is similar to nettles, in so far as both grow better in nutrient enriched soil, which can indicate former human settlement or animal congregations.
I wonder if this particular woodland was formerly stocked with pigs. They would have dunged the soil and by rootling about, all vegetation would have been removed. Elder could well have taken advantage of such conditions.
I have seen a thick understorey of Elder under taller trees at Shay Lane, Ovenden.
ReplyDeleteI assumed they were the result of Starlings feeding on the berries then going to roost at night in the trees, thus providing seed and fertiliser.
Bankhouse Wood at Skircoat/Copley is developing an understory of Yew. The parent tree is a huge one in a nearby garden.
Understorys of most unwelcome Cherry Laurel are developing in places. I'm pretty sure foxes are one of the agents of spread, as I've seen the seeds in their scats in the woods, but Woodpigeons are also likely agents.
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