Wolverton Wood and Alcaston Coppice

Also within

Shropshire County Shropshire Hills Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Silurian

Description

Area, 80.29 ha. 198.4 ac. Description Much of the scarp woodland of Wenlock Edge has been reforested with conifers. The largest remaining area of semi natural broadleaved woodland is at Wolverton Wood and Alcaston Coppice. This site and the other native woods on Wenlock Edge, have some similarities with Tick Wood, which is situated on the same geological formation. Wolverton Wood and Alcaston Coppice are structurally and floristically diverse and have several different woodland stand types. Much of the woodland on the scarp is characterised by ash Fraxinus excelsior and wych elm Ulmus glabra with sessile oak Quercus petraea and locally abundant small leaved lime Tilia cordata. This type of ash / wych elm woodland, in which sessile oak occurs, is confined to Silurian limestones and calcareous shales in Shropshire and Herefordshire. Ash, hazel Corylus avellana and field maple Acer campestre also occur, the plateau woodland consists mainly of sessile oak with hazel. The field layer consists partly of species characteristic of base rich soils, such as yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, woodruff Galium odoratum, dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis and sanicle Sanicula europaea and partly of plants of acidic condition, for example greater wood rush Luzula sylvatica and creeping soft grass Holcus mollis. Several uncommon plant species have been recorded. These include wild service tree Sorbus torminalis, lily of the valley Convallaria majalis, herb paris Paris quadrifolia and broad leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine. Within the wood there are small, long disused quarries and hollow trackways.

Species mentioned