Madingley Wood

Also within

Cambridgeshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Glacial Till

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Area, 15.2 hectares 37.5 ac Description Madingley Wood is an example of the ash maple woodland type characteristic of the chalky Boulder Clay of eastern England. The western sector of the wood is of ancient origin whilst the eastern half is of relatively recent origin thus providing valuable opportunities for study into colonisation processes and historical ecology generally. The older primary woodland holds standards of pedunculate oak Quercus robur with ash Fraxinus excelsior and field maple Acer campestre being common. Old hazel Corylus avellana coppice and hawthorn Crataegus monogyna dominate the shrub layer. The secondary woodland holds a mixture of elm Ulmus sp. and ash with a shrub layer of elm suckers and blackthorn Prunus spinosa. The ground flora is typically of dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta type. The woodland has also been noted for its moss flora. The site is of particular educational and research value in view of its long association with the University of Cambridge.

Species mentioned