Larkey Valley Wood

Also within

Kent County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description Ash maple coppice is the predominant woodland type on the slopes of this dry chalk valley. This grades into beech high forest on the thin calcareous soils of the upper slopes with hornbeam coppice on the deeper soils in the valley bottom. The varied ground flora includes a number of uncommon plants. The wood also supports many breeding birds. The ash maple woodland has a varied coppice layer under pedunculate oak standards. While ash and hazel are the most common coppiced species, field maple, birch, sweet chestnut and wild cherry are also present and hawthorn is a common shrub. In the valley bottom the coppice is more uniform. hornbeam and hazel are the predominant coppiced species with occasional ash and field maple and a few oak standards. The high forest on the upper slopes is dominated by mature beech with some oak. The shrub layer under the beech is sparse in heavily shaded areas but elsewhere, especially along the woodland edge, there is a variety of species including wild privet, spindle and wayfaring tree; shrubs characteristic of chalk soils. Much of the coppice has not been cut recently and consequently the ground flora is poor. Bramble Rubus fruticosus, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis and wood anemone Anemone nemorosa are the most abundant plants. The flora is more varied in the recently cut coppice and includes wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides and caper spurge E. lathyrus. moschatel Adoxa moschatellina and lesser celandine Ficaria verna grow in the wetter areas in the valley bottom. Beneath the beech high forest the flora is diverse except where there is heavy shade. sanicle Sanicula europaea, sweet woodruff Galium odoratum and wood melick Melica uniflora occur with a number of orchids; bird's nest Neottia nidus-avis, fly Ophrys insectifera and lady Orchis purpurea. The latter is a scarce species restricted in Britain to Kent and is characteristic of Kentish woods on chalk soils. A variety of woodland birds breed, including tree pipit, nuthatch, hawfinch and several tits and warbler.

Species mentioned