Hodgemoor Wood

Also within

Buckinghamshire County Chilterns Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description Hodgemoor Woods constitutes one of the largest tracts of semi natural broadleaved woodland remaining in the Buckinghamshire Chilterns. The woods are situated on an unusually wide and contrasting range of soil types derived from mottled clays, sands and gravels associated with the Reading Beds and tertiary gravels and calcareous clays over the Middle Chalk. The combination of extensive areas of semi natural woodland of varying age on such a wide range of soils is exceptional in the Chiltern Hills and has generated a wide range of woodland plant communities and a characteristically diverse woodland flora. Much of the woodland is of ancient origin, with records of its existence dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. There has, however, been considerable fluctuation in the extent of woodland over the centuries, and secondary semi natural woodland of 18th, 19th and 20th century origin surround the ancient core of the site. The structure of the woodland is extremely varied and includes large areas of ancient coppice stools of oak, beech and hornbeam with occasional old standards of oak; high forest stands of oak and birch; plantation stands of beech and other native broadleaved species such as oak and cherry; and some mixed and coniferous plantations. An extensive system of tracks and paths has been maintained creating many open sunny rides. The range of soil types, the complex history of the woods and the low intensity of past management has led to Hodgemoor Wood possessing an extremely wide range of woodland trees and shrubs, including whitebeam Sorbus aria, wild service tree Sorbus torminalis, maple Acer campestre, wych elm Ulmus glabra, aspen Populus tremula, crab apple Malus sylvestris and yew Taxus baccata. This range of species is considered to have been typical of the Chilterns woodlands before the widespread establishment of beech plantations. On the drier acidic soils oak and beech coppice are found, while the heavier clay soils support areas of oak/bracken/bramble woodland. Where the underlying chalk influences the soils, patches of ash/maple/dog's mercury woodland occur. The drier soils within the wood support a heathy woodland vegetation of bracken Pteridium aquilinum and bramble Rubus fruticosus, with wood rushes Luzula pilosa and L. forsteri and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum. Cow wheat Melampyrum pratense, trailing St John's wort Hypericum humifusum and heather Calluna vulgaris are present in areas recently coppiced. The wetter flushes and muddy rides contain wood sedge, remote sedge and pale sedge Carex sylvatica, Carex remota and C. pallescens, the latter being of limited occurrence in Buckinghamshire. On the chalkier soils a wide range of plants of base rich woodland soils may be found including abundant dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, along with its typical associates yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, sweet woodruff Galium odoratum, pignut Conopodium majus, primrose Primula vulgaris, twayblade Neottia ovata and early purple orchid Orchis mascula. This diverse array of woodland plants is typical of ancient woodland and indicative of along history of traditional management. Other plants recorded in the wood include coral root Cardamine bulbifera, a nationally uncommon species particularly characteristic of the Chilterns; lady fern Athyrium filix-femina, narrow buckler fern Dryopteris carthusiana and the hawkweed Hieracium virgultorum, all uncommon in Buckinghamshire. The wood is known to hold populations of white admiral Limenitis camilla, purple hairstreak Favonius quercus and green hairstreak Callophrys rubi. A nationally rare jewel beetle Agrilus biguttatus, a species associated with old oaks in ancient woodland, has been recorded from the woods. The breeding birds of Hodgemoor Woods include many woodland species such as woodcock, hawfinch, sparrowhawk and both green and great spotted woodpecker. Clearings and coppice compartments in the driest heathy parts of the wood have supported breeding nightingale and nightjar in recent decades.

Species mentioned

Plant communities