Great Wood & Dodd's Grove
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TQ817879 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 4.12 | 2011-09-02 |
| TQ819876 | — | Favourable | 32.99 | 2011-09-02 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Landscape processes: Periglacial
Description
Description The SSSI is part of the ancient Hadleigh great Wood. It is a large area of coppice with standards oak woodland lying on periglacial sands, gravels and clays, about four miles west of Southend on Sea. It is one of the largest and best examples of ancient woodland in South Essex and the last known stronghold of the rare heath fritillary butterfly. The standard trees are mainly Sessile in the majority and pedunculate oak Quercus petraea and Quercus robur, but include variable amounts of birch Betula pendula. The coppice species are hornbeam Carpinus betulus, chestnut Castanea sativa, birch and hazel Corylus avellana. wild service tree Sorbus torminalis and rowan Sorbus aucuparia also occur and the shrub layer contains alder buckthorn Frangula alnus. Bramble Rubus fruticosus agg. and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum are the dominant ground flora with common cow wheat Melampyrum pratense found locally. ling Calluna vulgaris and bracken Pteridium aquilinum grow in small heathy areas, with devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis, the uncommon Slender St. John's wort Hypericum pulchrum, betony Betonica officinalis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, primrose Primula vulgaris and the grasses wood melick Melica uniflora and wood millet Milium effusum also occur. The orchid, broad helleborine Epipactis helleborine, uncommon in Essex, is recorded. For many years the wood was a habitat of the heath fritillary butterfly Melitaea athalia and efforts are being made to re-introduce the species.
Species mentioned
Show the 23 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusPlant communities
W25 — Bracken scrub
Pteridium aquilinum-Rubus fruticosus underscrub
Show 53 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Sambucus nigra, Ulex europaeus, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Luzula multiflora, Mnium hornum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Angelica sylvestris, Conopodium majus, Heracleum sphondylium, Arum maculatum, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Silene dioica, Stellaria holostea, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Glechoma hederacea, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Chamerion angustifolium, Circaea lutetiana, Digitalis purpurea, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ficaria verna, Potentilla erecta, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Galium mollugo sens.lat., Galium saxatile, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas