Brent Eleigh Woods
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL936466 | — | Unfavourable No Change | 20.75 | 2013-06-30 |
| TL939491 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 5.35 | 2010-12-21 |
| TL947485 | — | Favourable | 5.57 | 2017-11-14 |
Description
Area, 31.9 ha. 78.9 ac. Description The Brent Eleigh group of woods contains Spragg's, Langley and Camps Woods. Each of these is an important ancient woodland of the wet ash maple and or pedunculate oak hornbeam, ash maple variant type; the main 'heavy soil coppice type' of the calcareous clay soils of Eastern England. In addition, there are some smaller areas of the wet ash lime maple and the lowland wet ash elm woodland types in Camps Wood. Spragg's Wood is an ancient woodland with some original medieval boundary banks of well formed hazel coppice with oak Quercus robur, ash Fraxinus excelsior and maple Acer campestre standards. Wild pear Pyrus pyraster, sallow Salix caprea, woodland and hedgerow hawthorns Crataegus monogyna and Crataegus laevigata are also present. The ground flora is dominated by dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, with a good population of primrose Primula vulgaris and orchids Dactylorhiza fuchsii. The rides are of species rich unimproved neutral grassland with sanicle Sanicula europaea and violets Viola hirta and Viola riviniana. Langley Wood is situated on a hilltop and is an important landscape feature. It lies on the site of an ancient wood and retains some of the original woodland of hazel coppice with oak and ash standards. It appears that some of the wood has been planted with yew Taxus baccata and possibly oak. Other species include Elm Ulmus sp., birch Betula pendula, small leaved lime Tilia cordata, field maple Acer campestre, wild cherry Prunus avium and holly Ilex aquifolium. Shrub species include spindle Euonymus europaeus and blackthorn Prunus spinosa. The ground flora is dominated by bramble Rubus fruticosus with dog's mercury scattered throughout and dominating the areas of original woodland. A rich ground flora includes violets, primroses, orchids, nettle leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium and wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella. Two ponds and a stream in the northern area of the wood create additional habitat diversity, supporting, amongst many other species, pendulous sedge Carex pendula and ferns Dryopteris filix-mas and Dryopteris dilatata. Camps Wood is a well documented and relatively undisturbed primrose wood, containing a mixture of primary and medieval woodland as evidenced both by the rich flora and giant stools together with the topography of moats and parish boundaries. Coppicing has been continued for several hundred years giving rise to some massive stools. Oak is dominant amongst the standards with ash and maple present in small numbers. The main coppice species are maple, ash, hornbeam Carpinus betulus, elm, hazel and lime. The north east corner of the wood, thought to be primary woodland, is dominated by lime. The ground flora is mostly dominated by dog's mercury, with primrose co-dominant in the northern and central and bluebell in the north east parts of the wood. Primrose / oxlip hybrids, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and stinking iris Iris foetidissima are also present. There are two moderately sized and heavily shaded ponds in the wood.
Species mentioned
Show the 29 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusPlant communities
A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream
Potamogeton natans community
Show 20 indicator speciesSchoenoplectus 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
Show 15 indicator speciesIsolepis 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
Show 11 indicator speciesBerula 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
Show 12 indicator speciesFontinalis 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
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
W23 — Brownfield, Hedgerow scrub
Ulex europaeus-Rubus fruticosus scrub
Show 40 indicator speciesHedera 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