Potterhanworth Wood

Also within

Lincolnshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Unit	Feature	Condition	Area (ha)	Assessed
TF071668	—	Favourable	33.08	2009-06-08

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Species	Season
woodcock	Breeding

Description

Area,32.0 hectares Description Adjacent to the now drained fenland of the Witham Valley, Potter Hanworth Wood is characterise dby the dominance of small leaved lime Tilia cordata. Historically, the site is known to have been continuously wooded and its long management as coppice with standards, combined with the variation in soil texture and drainage, has resulted in outstanding plant and animal communities. There are pure stands of lime in the north; elsewhere it is mixed with ash Fraxinus excelsior, pedunculate oak Quercus robur, birches Betula pendula and Betula pubescens, rowan Sorbus aucuparia and aspen Populus tremula. Wild service trees Sorbus torminalis are found in the body of the wood. The lime rich soils of the massive bank along the eastern edge support field maple Acer campestre, wild cherry Prunus avium, dogwood Cornus sanguinea and privet Ligustrum vulgare. hazel Corylus avellana forms the shrub layer in the wood's interior. Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and wood anemone Anemone nemorosa dominate the woodland floor in the north. Dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis is abundant in the east, whilst yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon is prolific throughout. Typical of the acidic areas are hairy wood rush Luzula pilosa, slender St. John's wort Hypericum pulchrum, heath speedwell Veronica officinalis and wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella. Pockets of rich soil support moschatel Adoxa moschatellina and yellow pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum. Rarer plants of the ground flora are herb paris Paris quadrifolia, nettle leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium and small teasel Dipsacus pilosus. Amongst the numerous moths recorded is the rare poplar lutestring Tethea or. The wood supports a breeding bird community characteristic of ancient woodlands including woodcock, tree creeper and greater spotted woodpecker. It also contains a small heronry (heron).

Species mentioned

Show the 27 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status ▾

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Grouped by host-plant — open a plant to see its insects. Some insects feed on more than one of these plants, so they appear under each.

Common oak Quercus 19

Oak lutestring Cymatophorina diluta	Endangered	Quercus robur
Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	any Quercus
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	any Quercus
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	any Quercus
The lackey Malacosoma neustria	Vulnerable	any Quercus
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	any Quercus
Early moth Theria primaria	Vulnerable	any Quercus
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	any Quercus
Oak hook-tip Watsonalla binaria	Vulnerable	Quercus robur
Flounced chestnut Agrochola helvola	Near Threatened	any Quercus
Light crimson underwing Catocala promissa	Near Threatened	Quercus robur
Dark crimson underwing Catocala sponsa	Near Threatened	Quercus robur
Heart moth Dicycla oo	Near Threatened	Quercus robur
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	any Quercus
September thorn Ennomos erosaria	Near Threatened	any Quercus
Double dart Graphiphora augur	Near Threatened	any Quercus
Clay fan-foot Paracolax tristalis	Near Threatened	any Quercus
Common fan-foot Pechipogo strigilata	Near Threatened	Quercus robur
Frosted green Polyploca ridens	Near Threatened	Quercus robur

Birch, downy birch Betula 15

Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	any Betula
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	any Betula
Broom moth Ceramica pisi	Vulnerable	any Betula
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	any Betula
The lackey Malacosoma neustria	Vulnerable	Betula pendula
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Betula pendula, Betula pubescens
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	any Betula
Oak hook-tip Watsonalla binaria	Vulnerable	Betula pendula
Flounced chestnut Agrochola helvola	Near Threatened	any Betula
Kentish glory Endromis versicolora	Near Threatened	Betula pendula, Betula pubescens
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	any Betula
September thorn Ennomos erosaria	Near Threatened	any Betula
Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa	Near Threatened	any Betula
Double dart Graphiphora augur	Near Threatened	any Betula
White prominent Leucodonta bicoloria	Regionally Extinct	any Betula

Aspen Populus 12

Dark bordered beauty Epione vespertaria	Endangered	Populus tremula
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	any Populus
Scarce chocolate-tip Clostera anachoreta	Vulnerable	any Populus, Populus tremula
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	Populus tremula
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	any Populus
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	any Populus
No common name Zeugophora turneri	Vulnerable	Populus tremula
Purple emperor Apatura iris	Near Threatened	Populus tremula
Minor shoulder-knot Brachylomia viminalis	Near Threatened	Populus tremula
The sallow Cirrhia icteritia	Near Threatened	any Populus
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	any Populus
Grey pug Eupithecia subfuscata	Near Threatened	Populus tremula

Hazel Corylus avellana 7

Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	Corylus avellana
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	Corylus avellana
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	Corylus avellana
The lackey Malacosoma neustria	Vulnerable	Corylus avellana
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Corylus avellana
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	Corylus avellana
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	Corylus avellana

Wild cherry Prunus 5

Figure of eight Diloba caeruleocephala	Endangered	any Prunus
The lappet Gastropacha quercifolia	Endangered	any Prunus
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	any Prunus
The lackey Malacosoma neustria	Vulnerable	any Prunus
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	any Prunus

Lime small leaved Tilia 4

The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	any Tilia
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	any Tilia
September thorn Ennomos erosaria	Near Threatened	any Tilia
Scarce hook-tip Sabra harpagula	Near Threatened	Tilia cordata

Ash Fraxinus excelsior 3

The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	Fraxinus excelsior
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Fraxinus excelsior
Dusky thorn Ennomos fuscantaria	Near Threatened	Fraxinus excelsior

Field maple Acer campestre 2

Maple pug Eupithecia inturbata	Endangered	Acer campestre
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	Acer campestre

Rowan Sorbus aucuparia 2

Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	Sorbus aucuparia
Garden tiger Arctia caja	Near Threatened	Sorbus aucuparia

Dogwood Cornus sanguinea 1

Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria

Vulnerable

Cornus sanguinea

Small teasel Dipsacus 1

Mouse moth Amphipyra tragopoginis

Vulnerable

any Dipsacus

Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta 1

Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa

Near Threatened

Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Slender St John's-wort Hypericum 1

Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata

Vulnerable

any Hypericum

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.