Forest Banks

Also within

Staffordshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Rock Outcrop · Rock Type: Glacial Till, Limestone

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Area, 45.6 ha. 112.7 ac. Description Forest Banks consists of three of the least modified and most diverse sections of what remains of the scarp woodlands of the former Royal Forest of Needwood. Elsewhere along the scarp the woods have been largely replaced with plantations. The site occupies a steep north facing escarpment and part of the adjacent plateau and is dissected by a number of steep sided valleys. The varied topography and soils give rise to a number of types of semi natural woodland, certain of which are very uncommon in Staffordshire, being geographically restricted and having declined both locally and nationally in recent years. Together with the nearby Brakenhurst SSSI, the locality supports an outstanding assemblage of moths and butterflies. The ill drained, acidic boulder clay of the plateau has uneven aged stands of birch Betula spp., pedunculate oak Quercus robur and sessile oak Quercus petraea with scattered mature chestnut Castanea sativa. Holly Ilex aquifolium and rowan Sorbus aucuparia are frequent in the understorey. The species poor ground vegetation which has been grazed in the past is largely composed of bracken Pteridium aquilinum, creeping soft grass Holcus mollis, wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum. On the scarp where calcareous and base rich Keuper Marls outcrop there is an abrupt transition to mixed broadleaf woodland. Ash Fraxinus excelsior, pedunculate oak, wych elm Ulmus glabra now only present as young growth and lime Tilia spp. are the most abundant trees, with frequent wild service tree Sorbus torminalis and locally invading sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus. Forest Banks is the only Staffordshire location where small and large leaved lime Tilia cordata and Tilia platyphyllos are known to occur together. The presence of the latter species in association with ash and wych elm shows an affinity with the lime woods of the Magnesian limestone in central and northern England. Locally, the presence of field maple Acer campestre and absence of elm indicates a 'lowland maple ash limewood' stand type, here with shrubs such as dogwood Cornus sanguinea, crab apple Malus sylvestris and spindle Euonymus europaeus. hazel Corylus avellana, occurs commonly across the scarp. At the base of the slope and in the valley bottoms alder Alnus glutinosa is prominent and a further type of alder wood occurs around poorly drained depressions on the plateau. A few specimens of hornbeam Carpinus betulus are present on Buttermilk Hill with small leaved lime coppice. This is thought to be one of the few localities for native hornbeam in the Midlands. The ground flora of the escarpment woodland exhibits a range of plant communities with considerable variation in individual species abundance. Differences in surface drainage, soil chemistry and canopy shade are the main factors responsible. Bramble Rubus fruticosus, dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and ferns Dryopteris spp. are some of the commoner plants. Less frequent, but widespread species include woodruff Galium odoratum, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon and early purple orchid Orchis mascula. In wetter situations in valley bottoms is a characteristically lush flora including meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, opposite leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, ramsons Allium ursinum and great willowherb Epilobium hirsutum, often accompanied by the rare thin spiked wood sedge Carex strigosa. These places are also important habitats for many mosses and liverworts. Several other Staffordshire rarities are present such as toothwort Lathraea aquamaria and oak fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris and here, in relative abundance, spurge laurel Daphne laureola and soft shield fern Polystichum setiferum. The woodland Lepidoptera include more than 20 notable species, including the scorched wing Plagodis dolabraria and the waved umber Menophra abruptaria.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

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

Host-plant 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; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

Plant communities