Great Breach and Copley Woods

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland

Description

Area, 64.8 ha. 160.0 ac. Description This site consists of ancient and semi natural broadleaved woodland. Two woodland types with a restricted distribution in Britain occur and the site supports a locally important invertebrate fauna. Additional interest lies in the fungi. great Breach and Copley Woods occupy the plateau and steep, west facing slopes of the eastern end of the Polden Hills. Poorly drained neutral to calcareous soils of the Worcester and Sherborne associations have developed on the underlying Lower Liasand Keuper Marl strata. Two main woodland types can be distinguished in the areas of ancient woodland. Bunch Wood is dominated by ash Fraxinus excelsior and small leaved lime Tilia cordata with field maple Acer campestre and hazel Corylus avellana. An area of Plateau Alder wood occurs in the southern part of the site with alder Alnus glutinosa and ash as co-dominants. Much of the remainder of great Breach and Copley Woods was planted during the first half of the 19th Century with pedunculate oak Quercus robur and ash. These areas have developed a high forest structure and despite their more recent origin have a rich understorey which includes wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana, guelder rose Viburnum opulus, dogwood Cornus sanguinea and spindle Euonymus europaeus. The ground flora is also of interest; with many species usually associated with ancient woodlands such as Spurge laurel Daphne laureola, herb paris Paris quadrifolia, sanicle Sanicula europaea and wood millet Milium effusum. The rides support a rich flora which includes pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis and greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha. great Breach and Copley Woods support a diverse invertebrate fauna and are one of the most important butterfly sites in Somerset. 29 resident breeding species have been recorded in recent years. The notable Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina is of particular interest. Moths are well represented and include the nationally rare Ethmia terminella and Dystebenna stephensi. Three nationally rare species of hover Fly, Cheilosia carbonaria, Xylota abiens and X. xanthocnema are also present. 470 species of fungi have been recorded to date. great Breach and Copley Woods are the only known British locality for Lycophyllum konradianum.

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.