Vallis Vale

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Unit	Feature	Condition	Area (ha)	Assessed
ST754493	—	Favourable	0.11	2010-05-19
ST755490	—	Unfavourable Recovering	15.75	2010-11-19
ST757486	—	Favourable	0.78	2010-05-19
ST758492	—	Favourable	6.88	2010-08-10

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Carboniferous, Jurassic · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Limestone

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Species	Season
kestrel	Breeding

Description

Area, 23.9 ha. 59.1 ac. Description Vallis Vale is an ancient woodland site and supports an ash / wych elm stand type with a restricted distribution in Britain. The Vale is the meeting point of the Hells Stream and the Egford Brook. The two watercourses flow through deeply dissected wooded valleys where shallow calcareous soils have developed on the underlying Carboniferous Limestone strata. The steep slopes support an ancient woodland stand of the local ash wych elm type. The canopy is dominated by ash Fraxinus excelsior. Pedunculate oak Quercus robur and small leaved lime Tilia cordata are less frequent. Although most of the wych elm Ulmus glabra standards have been killed by Dutch Elm disease, many of the rootstocks remain alive and in places new growth is vigorous. Field maple Acer campestre and hazel Corylus avellana dominate the understorey which also includes spindle Euonymus europaeus, privet Ligustrum vulgare, dogwood Cornus sanguinea and guelder rose Viburnum opulus. Ground flora species usually restricted to ancient woodlands include wood spruge Euphorbia amygdaloides, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon and Solomon’s seal Polygonatum multiflorum. Dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis or bramble Rubus fruticosus are dominant in drier areas and ramsons Allium ursinum in wetter parts. Valley alder wood characterised by alder Alnus glutinosa and goat willow Salix caprea occurs along the streams. Bankside vegetation includes angelica Angelica sylvestris, meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria and yellow flag Iris pseudacorus. Vallis Vale supports large populations of banded agrion Calopteryx splendens and demoiselle agrion Calopteryx virgo. Breeding birds include kingfisher Alcedo at this, dipper Cinclus cinclus and kestrel Falco tinnunculus. Greater horseshoe bats Rhinolophus ferrumequinum have also been recorded in the site. Vallis Vale is one of the few Somerset sites where crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes occur. Geological Vallis Vale exposes some of Britain’s most classic rock outcrops, exhibiting several of the most easily demonstrated examples of angular unconformity available. The famous inferior Oolite – Carboniferous Limestone unconformity first described by Conybeare and Buckland is of great historical significance. The site also contains other examples of the overstep and burial of the Carboniferous Limestone ‘Mendip Island’ in Lower and Middle Jurassic times. A nationally important research and educational locality, of great renown for the part it has played in the historical development of geological science. Hapsford Bridge is a key Rhaetic site showing Westbury, Cotham and Langport Beds in the most extensive sections in the east Mendips. Clays and, sometimes bored, conglomerates with Atreta intustriata overlie bored and encrusted Carboniferous Limestone with angular discordance. The liverwort Naiadita occurs in the Cotham Beds here and Thecodontosaurus was discovered by Charles Moore at this locality in the last century. An historic and important Rhaetian section showing the first effects of the ‘Jurassic’ transgression.

Species mentioned

Show the 29 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.

Goat willow Salix 20

The lappet Gastropacha quercifolia	Endangered	any Salix
Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	any Salix
Mouse moth Amphipyra tragopoginis	Vulnerable	Salix caprea
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	any Salix
Scarce chocolate-tip Clostera anachoreta	Vulnerable	any Salix
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	any Salix
Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata	Vulnerable	any Salix
The lackey Malacosoma neustria	Vulnerable	any Salix
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Salix caprea
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	any Salix
Flounced chestnut Agrochola helvola	Near Threatened	any Salix
Beaded chestnut Agrochola lychnidis	Near Threatened	any Salix
Grey chi Antitype chi	Near Threatened	Salix caprea
Purple emperor Apatura iris	Near Threatened	Salix caprea
Minor shoulder-knot Brachylomia viminalis	Near Threatened	Salix caprea
The sallow Cirrhia icteritia	Near Threatened	any Salix
Dingy mocha Cyclophora pendularia	Near Threatened	Salix caprea
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	any Salix
Grey pug Eupithecia subfuscata	Near Threatened	any Salix
Double dart Graphiphora augur	Near Threatened	any Salix

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

Wych elm Ulmus 12

Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	any Ulmus
White-letter hairstreak Satyrium w-album	Endangered	any Ulmus, Ulmus glabra
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	any Ulmus
Broom moth Ceramica pisi	Vulnerable	any Ulmus
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	any Ulmus
The lackey Malacosoma neustria	Vulnerable	any Ulmus
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Ulmus glabra
Flounced chestnut Agrochola helvola	Near Threatened	any Ulmus
Dusky-lemon sallow Cirrhia gilvago	Near Threatened	Ulmus glabra
The sallow Cirrhia icteritia	Near Threatened	Ulmus glabra
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	any Ulmus
Double dart Graphiphora augur	Near Threatened	any Ulmus

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

Alder Alnus glutinosa 5

Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	Alnus glutinosa
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Alnus glutinosa
Dingy mocha Cyclophora pendularia	Near Threatened	Alnus glutinosa
Kentish glory Endromis versicolora	Near Threatened	Alnus glutinosa
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	Alnus glutinosa

Bramble Rubus fruticosus 5

Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	Rubus fruticosus
Broom moth Ceramica pisi	Vulnerable	Rubus fruticosus
The lackey Malacosoma neustria	Vulnerable	Rubus fruticosus
Grizzled skipper Pyrgus malvae	Vulnerable	Rubus fruticosus
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	Rubus fruticosus

Wild angelica Angelica sylvestris 4

Brindled ochre Dasypolia templi	Near Threatened	Angelica sylvestris
Grey pug Eupithecia subfuscata	Near Threatened	Angelica sylvestris
White-spotted pug Eupithecia tripunctaria	Near Threatened	Angelica sylvestris
Swallowtail papilio Papilio machaon	Near Threatened	Angelica sylvestris

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

Meadow sweet Filipendula ulmaria 2

Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	Filipendula ulmaria
Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata	Vulnerable	Filipendula ulmaria

Yellow iris or flag Iris pseudacorus 2

Broom moth Ceramica pisi	Vulnerable	Iris pseudacorus
Grey chi Antitype chi	Near Threatened	Iris pseudacorus

Dogwood Cornus sanguinea 1

Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria

Vulnerable

Cornus sanguinea

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.

Plant communities