Cwm Du, below Fan Frynych, Brecon Beacons

Cwm Du is part of the Craig Cerrig Gleisiad a Fan Frynych National Nature Reserve. As a haven for wildlife and plantlife from the over-grazed surrounding moorland, it provides a home to many rare species. (The following information is taken from the Natural Resources Wales website). The steep rocky slopes, sharp escarpments and crags are home to arctic-alpine plants at their southernmost location in the UK which are not found any further south until you get to the Alps. Arctic-alpine wildflowers growing on the north-facing rocky cliffs include purple saxifrage, mossy saxifrage, serrated wintergreen and green spleenwort. The cliffs are, in effect, a vertical woodland with trees and shrubs of hawthorn, rowan, ash and rare whitebeams. There is a also rich variety of wildflowers and many different mosses and liverworts.