Ivy is great for biodiversity:
It is a great provider of food and shelter for all kinds of animals, from butterflies to bats.
Mature ivy can provide a roosting site for bats, it’s autumn flowers provide an important source of food for insects at this otherwise barren time of year and later in the season it’s berries are a food resource for many different species of birds
The Importance of Ivy | Jersey Biodiversity Centre
Clingy, luscious, misunderstood. Ivy has long been accused of strangling trees, but it doesn’t harm the tree at all, and even supports at least 50 species of wildlife.
Ivy (Hedera helix) – British Wildflowers – Woodland Trust
But there can be too much of a good thing:
Much maligned, ivy is often accused of strangling trees on which it grows. The reality is often less sinister and ivy provides shelter for many forms of wildlife but there may be times when its control is advisable. In the border, ivy’s dense growth can swamp other plants and control here is often needed.
Ivy on trees and as a ground cover weed / RHS Gardening
Ivy will siphon resources (water and nutrients) from the surrounding soil to support its own growth, taking those resources away from your trees.
A thick coating of ivy can hold plant debris and fungal spores that can compromise the plant’s health.
Ivy uses your tree’s trunk and branch structure as a scaffold to climb, eventually covering many (or even all) of the branches.
Will Ivy Harm My Trees? Should I Remove Ivy? – Organic Plant Care LLC
Meanwhile along Glen Goyle…
On the far bank of the stream, the ivy is being left to its own devices – but there are areas where it needs cutting back. Not just to allow other plants to thrive, but because ivy has a tendency to strangle everything, including brickwork.
And so, at the side entrance to the Glen, a lot of the ivy is being cut back – to let the brick wall and the other foliage breathe a little – and to allow for proper access.
[photo: Google maps: November 2022]