Alder Wood and Meadow

Also within

Northamptonshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Glacial Till

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Description Alder Wood and Meadow comprises an unusual combination of ancient semi natural broadleaved woodland lying adjacent to an unimproved hay meadow. Both habitats lie on Midland boulder clay on a gentle south facing slope. The woodland, a remnant of the Royal Forest of Rockingham, is of the wet ash maple variety, a habitat type which is declining nationally and has been significantly reduced in Northamptonshire in recent times. Until recently the wood has been managed as coppice with standards, but now although there are areas of young growth, much of the coppice is over mature. The canopy is predominantly ash Fraxinus excelsior with occasional English oak Quercus robur and the coppiced shrub layer consists of hazel Corylus avellana and field maple Acer campestre. The ground flora is typical of base rich, wet soil with much tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa, dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, enchanter's nightshade Circaea lutentiana and bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta with other species such as common spotted orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii, twayblade Neottia ovata and sanicle Sanicula europaea also present. Herb paris Paris quadrifolia and giant bellflower Campanula latifolia, both rare in Northamptonshire, occur. Open and shaded rides and a small pond provide valuable additional habitats for plants, birsa and invertebrates. The adjacent meadow is an agriculturally unimproved, ridge and furrow hay field lying on neutral soils. It comprises a habitat type which is rare both nationally and in Northamptonshire. Variation in soil properties and in past management has led to the development of several grassland types of which the most common is that characterised by the presence of common knapweed Centaurea nigra and crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus. This is a diverse type and many plant species are found such as lady's bedstraw Galium verum, red fescue Festuca rubra, cowslip Primula veris, tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa, quaking grass Briza media and meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis. In damper parts of the field where in some cases the soil may be more acidic the grassland typeis characterised by meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis and great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis or by betony Betonica officinalis and devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis. Old hedgerows and a seasonally wet pond add to the interest of the meadow. The juxtaposition of the traditionally managed wood and hay meadow provides a range of environmental features important to a large variety of animals and plants and this enhances the separate value of each habitat for wildlife.

Species mentioned