Inwood, Warleigh

Also within

Somerset CountyWiltshire County Cotswolds Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Limestone

Description

Description Inwood is a structurally varied and botanically rich example of southern calcareous ash wych elm and dry ash maple woodland. It supports an extremely rich ground flora including populations of two nationally uncommon plants. The extensive ride system incorporates an area of unimproved neutral hay meadow which adds considerably to the interest. Both woodland and grassland elements of the sitere present habitat types which have greatly declined in extent in recent years and remain under threat. The wood lies on a gentle east facing slope of the oolitic limestone in the southern Cotswolds. Immediately to the west the land drops steeply into the Avon Valley. Much of the site comprises derelict mixed coppice of ash, hazel and field maple with large areas also holding coppiced wych elm. The elm has been badly affected by Dutch elm disease and is now largely represented by young regrowth and a little standing and fallen dead timber. Some English elm has survived the disease in the form of root suckers only. Standards of mature oak and ash are widespread although the latter are far less frequent. Large beech trees occur sparingly near the top of the slope. Beneath the relatively dense canopy there is a diverse shrub layer which includes hawthorn, elder, dogwood, wayfaring tree, spindle and some holly. Many of these shrubs offer support for the vigorous wild clematis Clematis vitalba. A rich ground flora is variously dominated by dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and bramble Rubus fruticosus. In the eastern part of the site, especially, there are large numbers of spiked star of Bethlehem Ornithagalum pyrenacium, a species virtually restricted to a small area of south west England. Other plants indicative of long established woodland occur less commonly and include moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, enchanter's nightshade Circaea lutetiana, sanicle Sanicula europaea, wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolonand stinking iris Iris foetidissima. Woodland grasses and sedges are widespread, for example wood melick Melica uniflora, wood false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, giant fescue Schedonorus giganteus, wood sedge Carex sylvatica and thin spiked wood sedge C. strigosa. The shady, slightly damp nature of the wood has allowed many ferns to flourish, such as hart's tongue Asplenium scolopendrium, broad buckler fern Dryopteris dilatata, scaly male fern Dryopteris affinis and male fern Dryopteris filix-mas. Inwood is dissected by a ride system incorporating a wide stretch of grassland normally cut for hay in summer. This diverse area supports woodland field layer plants such as bluebell, wild strawberry Fragaria vesca and pignut Conopodium majus as well as more typical grassland plants including oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare, common cat's ear Hypochaeris radicata, dwarf thistle Cirsium acaule and common milkwort Polygala vulgaris. Of particular note are the large populations of both spiked star of Bethlehem and the scarce meadow saffron Colchicum autumnale, which also grows along some of the narrow rides. The wood supports a characteristic breeding bird community including the commoner tits and warblers and the more localised lesser spotted woodpecker. A wide range of woodland and grassland butterfly species are also present, including purple hairstreak, holly blue, gatekeeper and small skipper.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths and butterflies are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a hostplant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Hostplant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation (Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.