Ridgeway Wood

Also within

Herefordshire County Malvern Hills Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Silurian · Rock Type: Limestone

Description

Area, 32.9 ha. 81.3 ac. Description Ridgeway Wood is an area of semi natural woodland developed on shallow base rich soils overlying a narrow ridge of Wenlock Limestone Silurian on the western flanks of the Malvern Hills. It has been selected as one of the very few examples of a woodland with sessile oak Quercus petraea, ash Fraxinus excelsior and small leaved lime Tilia cordata where yew Taxus baccata, normally only a minor component, has achieved dominance over a large area. In many places it forms a closed canopy to the exclusion of most other species. In other areas where oak, ash and lime predominate a number of other native species occur including field maple Acer campestre, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, dogwood Cornus sanguinea, wild rivet Ligustrum vulgare, hazel Corylus avellana and wild service tree Sorbus torminalis; a characteristic species of ancient woodland. Some specimens of this tree have reached unusually large dimensions. The ground flora of the wood is rich and varied containing many locally rare species including greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha, bird’s nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis and toothwort Lathraea squamaria. There are also very large stands of wild daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus; a species for which the woodlands of the Gloucestershire / Herefordshire borders are well known. The fauna includes polecat Mustela putorius – here at the eastern limits of its distribution in Britain – and dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius.

Species mentioned