Edlington Wood

Also within

South Yorkshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Permian · Rock Type: Limestone

Description

Description Edlington Wood is located four kilometres south west of Doncaster and lies at between 45 to 80 metres above sea level. It is underlain by Permian magnesian limestone which outcrops as low crags close to the northern edge of the site. This is the largest single area of predominantly deciduous woodland on the magnesium limestone in South Yorkshire. It is a secondary woodland dating from Romano British timesand in the extreme northern part of the site, in association with the natural limestone crags, the predominance in the stand of small leaved lime Tilia cordata, ash and wych elm together with numerous ancient yews suggests continuity of natural woodland regeneration from that time. The greater part of the wood has been subject to reafforestation beginning around the 1700's. Planting then and subsequently included sweet chestnut, sycamore, larch, beech and oak but, since these plantations incorporated coppice and seedling lime, ash, wych elm, oak and birch these occur now throughout the wood as a scattering of mature trees. The understorey is well developed and representative of woodlands on limestone, containing an abundance of privet, hazel, guelder rose and dogwood with, more locally, spindle Euonymus europaeus, buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica and spurge laurel Daphne laureola. There is a particularly diverse ground flora reflecting the wide variation in soil type moisture conditions and completeness of canopy. For the most part there is a dominance of false brome and dog's mercury, but in places these are replaced by tufted hair grass, wood melick Melica uniflora, creeping soft grass and bracken. Characteristic of woodlands on limestone are giant bellflower Campanula latifolia and columbine Aquilegia vulgaris while more unusual species include toothwort Lathraea squamaria, broad leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine, mountain melick Melica nutans and hard shield fern Polystichum aculeatum. The open woodland rides support a complimentary flora more typical of grassland on limestone with plants such as common twayblade, fairy flax, yellow rattle and ploughman's spikenard Inula conyza occurring widely.

Species mentioned

Plant communities