Weaveley and Sand Woods

Also within

Cambridgeshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Jurassic · Rock Type: Glacial Till, Greensand

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Area, 76 hectares 187 ac Description The woodland is ancient in origin and of the ash maple type which is restricted to lowland England and is a declining habitat. The site is of additional interest for the influence and range of the underlying geology. It straddles a number of geological formations from ill drained boulder clay and Jurassic clays to free draining Lower Greensand. Few other ancient woods in Cambridgeshire possess this variation in terms of geology. The woods are essentially a mixture of coppiced ash Fraxinus excelsior, coppiced field maple Acer campestre with pedunculate oak Quercus robur standards and hazel Corylus avellana predominant in the shrub layer. Elm Ulmus spp. has invaded parts of the wood. The ground flora is typically of dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis and bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta with early purple orchid Orchis mascula. Rides and clearings in the wood support their own characteristic flora which includes plants such as the common spotted orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii and adder’s tongue fern Ophioglossum vulgatum. Some uncommon species are present in the wood including herb paris Paris quadrifolia, butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha and pignut Conopodium majus.

Species mentioned