Wenlock Edge
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJ608003 | — | Favourable | 3.58 | 2019-10-11 |
| SJ610004 | — | Favourable | 3.09 | 2019-10-11 |
| SJ615009 | — | Favourable | 8.15 | 2009-04-28 |
| SJ615010 | — | Favourable | 2.8 | 2009-04-28 |
| SO569964 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 2.01 | 2019-10-14 |
| SO574968 | — | Favourable | 3.83 | 2020-07-21 |
| SO575967 | — | Favourable | 8.11 | 2009-03-27 |
| SO578973 | — | Favourable | 3.82 | 2020-07-21 |
| SO585977 | — | Favourable | 37.79 | 2019-10-11 |
| SO596983 | — | Favourable | 2.57 | 2019-01-25 |
| SO596986 | — | Favourable | 49.28 | 2016-07-06 |
| SO599992 | — | Favourable | 37.79 | 2019-10-11 |
| SO610996 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 13.96 | 2022-08-25 |
| SO610999 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 13.96 | 2022-08-25 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Silurian · Rock Type: Limestone, Shale
Description
Description Wenlock Edge is a scarp of Silurian limestone which runs for over thirty kilometres 18.6 miles from Craven Arms to Much Wenlock. It is a prominent and well known feature and is of interest for its extensive exposures of rocks of the Wenlock series Silurian and for the woodland, scrub and grassland that occur along the ridge. The site consists of several separate localities in the northern part of the Edge west of Much Wenlock. Biology The scarp slope of Wenlock Edge is continuously wooded, but replanting with conifers has reduced and fragmented the original broadleaved woodland. The site includes the two largest areas of semi natural woodland remaining in the northern part of the Edge, at Blakeway Coppice and Edge Wood. Parts of these woods conform to a ‘stand type ’characterised by ash Fraxinus excelsior, wych elm Ulmus glabra and sessile oak Quercus petraea which is confined to Silurian limestones and shale in the Welsh Marches. The only other significant examples of this woodland in Shropshire are at Tick Wood and Wolverton Wood. The Wenlock Edge woodlands are rich in tree and shrub species. As well as sessile oak, ash and wych elm these include field maple Acer campestre, small leaved lime Tilia cordata, wild cherry Prunus avium, crab apple Malus sylvestris, hazel Corylus avellana, holly Ilex aquifolium, yew Taxus baccata and wild service tree Sorbus torminalis. Mature trees of wych elm are now scarce owing to Dutch elm disease. There is a diverse ground flora in which the most abundant species are dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, woodruff Galium odoratum, sanicle Sanicula europaea, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella, great wood rush Luzula sylvatica, tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa and false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum. The flora of Edge Wood includes two uncommon species, wood barley Hordelymus europaeus and violet helleborine Epipactis purpurata. Scrub communities are found mainly on old quarry sites. hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, dog rose Rosa canina, birch Betula sp., spindle Euonymus europaeus and dogwood Cornus sanguinea form mixed scrub which is locally dense. In some places extensive bryophyte carpets, consisting mainly of Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus and Hylocomium splendens, occur beneath the scrub. Grasslands are now scarce on Wenlock Edge and are confined to two or three small areas above rock outcrops and to somewhat larger examples in areas previously disturbed by quarrying. Some of these grasslands are dominated by upright brome Bromus erectus, a species virtually absent from the limestone grasslands of north west Shropshire where the only other area of significant limestone outcrops in the county occurs. Other abundant grasses include quaking grass Briza media, cock’s foot Dactylis glomerata and red fescue Festuca rubra. Among characteristic calcicolous lime loving species which occur here are pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis, yellow wort Blackstonia perfoliata, hoary plantain Plantago media, greater knapweed Centaurea scabiosa and fairy flax Linum catharticum. Geology The world famous Wenlock Limestone outcrops of Wenlock Edge rank amongst Britain’s most important geological sites. Studied by generations of geologists, the Edge remains akey research and educational locality. These are the finest sections available in the Wenlock Limestone and they provide the best examples of reef development during the Silurian Period in Britain. The limestones contain a rich fossil fauna and many fossil species, particularly of corals, brachiopods, trilobites and ostracods were first described from specimens collected here, Wenlock Edge is thus the standard or type locality for these species. The middle part of the Silurian Period is named the Wenlock Series after this area and localities within this site constitute the best sections available in the upper part of the Wenlock Series. This is a site of international significance for its stratigraphy and its unrivalled reef exposures.
Species mentioned
Show the 35 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