Stanton Great Wood

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 51.7787, -1.1481

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Oxfordshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Unfavourable Recovering (2)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
SP587091 — Unfavourable Recovering 29.48 2014-04-17
SP589093 — Unfavourable Recovering 28.73 2014-04-17

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland, Fast flowing river and stream, Hedgerow scrub

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Alluvium

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Area, 57.54 hectares 142.18 ac Description Stanton great Wood is a traditionally managed coppice with standards woodland with a rich flora and a diverse insect population which includes some uncommon species of butterflies and moths. Stanton great Wood is situated on soils derived from river alluvium and Oxford Clay. Once part of the Shotover Royal Forest, the site is mentioned in the Domesday Book and has almost certainly remained wooded since prehistoric times. Semi natural areas consist of stands of pedunculate oak, ash, hazel with field maple in places. The hazel and field maple form a well managed understorey of coppice under a canopy of mature oak standards and ash promoted from old coppice stools. Although the oaks are mostly less than 100 years old, Stanton great Wood is considered to be a good example of ancient coppice with standards woodland. Other trees and shrubs include silver birch, crab apple, honeysuckle, hawthorn and a high frequency of wild service tree, which is very rare outside ancient woodland on clay parts of the Midlands and south east England. Parts of the wood have been cleared and replanted with mixtures of hardwoods with conifers, which have now reached semi maturity as nurse crops. These areas include some hazel coppice and occasional wild service trees. The woodland ground flora is quite varied, though often dominated by bramble Rubus fruticosus, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, or tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa. Other grasses include species normally associated with ancient woodlands such as hairy brome Bromus ramosa, giant fescue Schedonorus giganteus, wood millet Milium effusum and the wood small reed Calamagrostis epigejos which occurs in wetter areas. sedges thrive in the poorly drained conditions; wood sedge Carex sylvatica is frequent and pale sedge C. pallescens, an uncommon species, occurs locally in the wood. The coppice regime also allows many broadleaved flowering plants to flourish, including yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, primrose Primula vulgaris and sweet woodruff Galium odoratum. Less frequent species include common dog violet Viola riviniana, wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides, goldilocks buttercup Ranunculus auricomus and ramsons Allium ursinum. Most of these are characteristic of ancient woodlands and rarely occur in other types of habitats. Insects associated with the semi natural woodland include many species which are considered characteristic of old forests. Moths include the buff footman Eilema sorocula, poplar lutestring Tethea or, blotched emerald Comibaena bajularia, maiden's blush Cyclophora punctaria and the nationally uncommon small black arches Meganola strigula. Important habitats for insects include the hedge boundaries and shrubby margins of the extensive system of rides throughout the wood. Boundary hedges consist predominantly of blackthorn and hawthorn with some oak standards and other trees, whilst the generally damp rides contain abundant goat willow, which supports the uncommon purple emperor butterfly Apatura iris. Other ride species include the leaf-roller weevil Apoderus coryli on hazel and moths such as the slender brindle Apamea scolopacina, orange moth Angerona prunaria and the Mere wainscot Photedes fluxa which feeds on the wood small reed. The hedges hold populations of the uncommon brown hairstreak butterfly Thecla betulae and are believed to harbour the rare black hairstreak Satyrium pruni which occurs in similar habitats nearby.

Species mentioned

English name
search for this in other sites		 Latin name
search with Google		 IUCN / Red List Type Family
no common name Apoderus coryli Not listed in GB list beetle attelabidae
purple emperor Apatura iris LC butterfly nymphalidae
black hairstreak Satyrium pruni EN butterfly lycaenidae
brown hairstreak Thecla betulae VU butterfly lycaenidae
hairy brome Bromus ramosa Not listed in GB list grass poaceae
wood small-reed Calamagrostis epigejos LC grass poaceae
tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa LC grass poaceae
wood millet Milium effusum LC grass poaceae
giant fescue Schedonorus giganteus LC grass poaceae
ramson Allium ursinum LC herb liliaceae
wood anemone Anemone nemorosa LC herb ranunculaceae
wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides LC herb euphorbiaceae
woodruff Galium odoratum LC herb rubiaceae
bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta LC herb liliaceae
yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon LC herb lamiaceae
primrose Primula vulgaris LC herb primulaceae
goldilocks buttercup Ranunculus auricomus LC herb ranunculaceae
bramble Rubus fruticosus LC herb rosaceae
common dog violet Viola riviniana LC herb violaceae
orange moth Angerona prunaria Not listed in GB list moth geometridae
slender brindle Apamea scolopacina Not listed in GB list moth noctuidae
blotched emerald Comibaena bajularia Not listed in GB list moth geometridae
maiden's blush Cyclophora punctaria Not listed in GB list moth geometridae
small black Meganola strigula Not listed in GB list moth nolidae
Mere wainscot Photedes fluxa Not listed in GB list moth noctuidae
poplar lutestring Tethea or Not listed in GB list moth drepanidae
wood sedge Carex sylvatica LC sedge cyperaceae

Plant communities

A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream

Potamogeton natans community

Schoenoplectus lacustris, Juncus bulbosus, Sparganium angustifolium, Sparganium erectum, Sparganium minimum, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Lemna trisulca, Nymphaea alba, Callitriche platycarpa, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus trichophyllus, Glyceria fluitans, Chara subspinosa

A14 — Fast flowing river and stream

Myriophyllum alterniflorum community

Isolepis fluitans, Juncus bulbosus, Fontinalis antipyretica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton filiformis, Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus peltatus, Chara spp., Nitella hyalina

A17 — Chalk river and stream, Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans community

Berula erecta, Nasturtium officinale, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Veronica beccabunga, Polygonum amphibium, Polygonum hydropiper, Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans

A18 — Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus fluitans community

Fontinalis antipyretica, Fontinalis squamosa var. curnowii, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Elodea canadensis, Mentha aquatica, Lemna gibba, Lemna minor, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Ranunculus fluitans, Glyceria fluitans, Phalaris arundinacea

W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub

Hedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas

W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub

Hedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas

W23 — Brownfield, Hedgerow scrub

Ulex europaeus-Rubus fruticosus scrub

Hedera helix, Calluna vulgaris, Cytisus scoparius, Ulex europaeus, Kindbergia praelonga, Pseudoscleropodium purum, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Achillea millefolium, Crepis capillaris, Hypochaeris radicata, Jacobaea vulgaris, Campanula rotundifolia, Jasione montana, Cerastium fontanum, Silene dioica, Teucrium scorodonia, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Veronica officinalis, Rumex acetosa, Rumex acetosella, Potentilla erecta, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium saxatile, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Aira praecox, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa pratensis, Pteridium aquilinum