Post Nine B
To the right of the path male and broad buckler ferns grow on a mound. Ferns are thought to have evolved more than 145 million years ago: many forms were living at the time of the dinosaurs.
If you gently turn over the fern fronds in late summer you will be able to see the brown ‘sori’ in which tiny spores develop and from where they are released in late summer or autumn.
Broad buckler fern and its spores, or ‘sori’
The ridge here was a focus for Home Guard activity during World War II. At St Paul’s Cray, anti-aircraft guns formed part of an outer London defence line and defences were positioned along the ridge here at Scadbury.
At that time the slopes were farmland, and there were good views across the Cray Valley and into Kent; the woodland is more recent. Bomb craters can still be seen in the woods.
The Cray Valley, with its factories and transport routes, suffered considerable wartime bombing.
A path opposite the post leads to St Pauls Wood Hill.
Please note there are two posts 9. This is 9B.