Enborne Copse

Also within

Berkshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Unit	Feature	Condition	Area (ha)	Assessed
SU433660	—	Unfavourable Recovering	11.92	2011-08-08

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland, Fast flowing river and stream

Description

Area, 11.9 hectares 29.4 ac Description This site consists of a semi natural broad leaved woodland characterised by the abundance of small leaved lime, a tree species which in Britain is confined to ancient woodlands and is very rare in Berkshire. Enborne Copse is situated prominently on the London Clays and has a small exposure of the Bagshot Beds at the southern end. A shallow, north flowing stream, into which feed a spring and several damp flushes, has eroded a small valley through the clay and into the underlying Reading Beds along the western edge. Weather has produced rather acid and often poorly drained stagnogley soils in gentle to moderate slopes. The copse is an ancient woodland surrounded by a medieval bank and ditch system. Although the current woodland boundary is almost identical to that shown on Rocque's map of Berkshire in 1791, the majority of the site has been converted to coniferous plantation and only the western parcel corresponding to the area notified retains its semi natural broad leaved structure. The site is an example of acid pedunculate oak lime woodland, a stand type with a localised distribution nationally. Small leaved lime Tilia cordata is the overwhelmingly dominant species and occurs largely as maiden trees approximately 80years old, partly promoted from coppice. West of the stream most of the wood has been cleared, leaving scattered lime trees including some giant coppice stools of considerable antiquity. The only other stand types represented include a small area of acid pedunculate oak hazel ash woodland in the valley and some scrubby alder birch willow bordering the stream. In Enborne Copse small leaved lime is notable in occurring throughout the wood up to and along, but not beyond, the ancient woodland boundary as demarcated by the medieval bank. It is a site where lime is regenerating well; the production of viable seed in this species is dependent upon high temperatures during pollination and in many parts of Britain it rarely, if ever, produces fertile seed. In Berkshire wild small leaved lime has been recorded from only two other sites, both within two kilometres of Enborne Copse, which is the only substantial stand. Other tree species occurring within the canopy include pedunculate oak Quercus robur and downy birch Betula pubescens. There is a limited understorey, which includes coppiced lime and hazel Corylus avellana together with occasional guelder rose Viburnum opulus, rowan Sorbus aucuparia, elder Sambucus nigra, alder buckthorn Frangula alnus and crab apple Malus sylvestris. Heavy shading from the dense foliage has resulted in a sparse ground flora, with extensive areas of bare ground. Twenty three species of plant normally confined to ancient woodlands have been recorded. These include a large stand of lily of the valley Convallaria majalis, an uncommon species in Berkshire, together with primrose Primula vulgaris, Solomon's seal Polygonatum multiflorum and wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides.

Species mentioned

Show the 13 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

Downy birch Betula 13

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
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Betula pubescens
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	any Betula
Flounced chestnut Agrochola helvola	Near Threatened	any Betula
Kentish glory Endromis versicolora	Near Threatened	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

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

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

Alder buckthorn Frangula alnus 2

The lappet Gastropacha quercifolia	Endangered	Frangula alnus
Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	Frangula alnus

Crab apple Malus 2

The lappet Gastropacha quercifolia	Endangered	any Malus
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	Malus sylvestris

Rowan Sorbus aucuparia 2

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

Primrose Primula vulgaris 1

Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina

Endangered

Primula vulgaris

Elder Sambucus nigra 1

White-spotted pug Eupithecia tripunctaria

Near Threatened

Sambucus nigra

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