Tick Wood and Benthall Edge
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJ645030 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 77.98 | 2021-03-18 |
| SJ650026 | — | Favourable | 1.66 | 2021-03-18 |
| SJ651030 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 7.65 | 2021-03-18 |
| SJ656032 | — | Favourable | 13.39 | 2021-03-18 |
| SJ664033 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 44.66 | 2021-03-18 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Geological Feature: Gorge / Ravine · Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Silurian · Rock Type: Limestone, Shale
Landscape processes: Fluvial
Description
Area, 142.45 ha. 352 ac. Description An extensive area of ancient native mixed deciduous woodland on north and west facing scarp slopes overlooking the Severn Gorge. Most of this woodland lies on soils derived from Wenlock Limestone and Wenlock Shale of the Silurian Period, but an area at the eastern end of Benthall Edge wood is underlain by the clays and sandstones of the Coal Measures. The variation in geology is reflected in the vegetation. On the Coal Measure sandstones, acidic soils have developed and these support sessile oak Quercus petraea and birch Betula spp. woodland with a ground flora which includes wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa, greater wood rush Luzula sylvatica, bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and hard fern Blechnum spicant. The more base rich soils on the Wenlock Limestone and Shale support more mixed woodland which includes a number of stand types dominated by i ash Fraxinus excelsior and wych elm Ulmus glabra, ii ash and hazel Corylus avellana and iii ash and small leaved lime Tilia cordata. There is also an area dominated by wild cherry Prunus avium. The ash / wych elm stands which contain abundant sessile oak are a woodland type characteristic of the Silurian limestones and calcareous shales of Shropshire and are particularly well developed. The ground flora includes plants such as ramsons Allium ursinum, sanicle Sanicula europaea, sweet woodruff Galium odoratum and dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis which are characteristic of base rich soils. Several uncommon plant species have been recorded, including fingered sedge Carex digitata in its only known Shropshire locality, wood barley Hordelymus europaeus, toothwort Lathraea squamaria, violet helleborine Epipactis purpurata and wild service tree Sorbus torminalis. Although most of the woodland is believed to be primary, there are some areas of secondary woodland which have developed on ground disturbed by quarrying for limestone and clay. There are also areas of scrub and grassland with a rich flora which includes dyer’s greenweed Genista tinctoria and a number of lime loving plants calcicoles including salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga, greater knapweed Centaurea scabiosa, marjoram Origanum vulgare and pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis.
Species mentioned
Show the 24 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusPlant communities
W20 — Montane scrub
Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub
Show 107 indicator speciesSalix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis
W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub
Show 81 indicator speciesHedera 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
Show 49 indicator speciesHedera 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