Harpsden Wood
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SU758806 | — | Favourable | 7.0 | 2011-08-04 |
| SU760803 | — | Favourable | 16.18 | 2011-08-04 |
| SU760806 | — | Favourable | 16.18 | 2011-08-04 |
| SU762804 | — | Favourable | 6.22 | 2011-08-04 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Chalk
Description
Area, 25.83 hectares 63.83 ac Description Harpsden Wood supports a range of woodland stand types reflecting the underlying geology and has a rich flora with over40 species associated with a long continuity of woodland cover. It also contains populations of plant species with are stricted distribution in the Oxfordshire Chilterns. This ancient wood occupies a plateau and adjacent north facing slope of a dry valley. It lies mainly on the acidic clay with flints though Upper Chalk underlies the northern slopes and the eastern edge. Two contrasting soils are associated with the parent material; on the plateau there is a sandy clay with flints and pebbles of the Berkhampstead complex and, on the slopes, a dry, silty, chalky brown soil of the Coombe series. The major part of the wood has a high forest structure composed of a mosaic of the acid pedunculate oak ash beech and oak beech types with variable numbers of oak, ash, cherry and birch. It has a sparse understorey of shrubs including holly, elder and hazel. Brambles are locally dominant in the field layer and there are frequent patches of tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa and foxglove Digitalis purpurea. Some areas with impeded drainage support goat willow together with soft rush Juncus effusus, yellow pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum and two species relatively uncommon in the Chilterns, great wood rush Luzula sylvatica, a species of acid soils mainly found in the north and west of Britain and pendulous sedge Carex pendula which prefers acidic, but base rich heavy, often clay, soils. In contrast the northern slope supports calcareous pedunculate oak ash beech woodland with whitebeam and old maple standards and an underwood of hazel coppice, dogwood, guelder rose, wayfaring tree, spindle, privet, honeysuckle and, rarely, old coppiced wych elm stools. Ash is regenerating freely where there are openings in the canopy. The ground flora is very diverse and includes woodruff Galium odoratum, dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, sanicle Sanicula europaea, goldilocks buttercup Ranunculus auricomus, wood barley Hordelymus europaeus and, on the leached clay soil at the foot of the slope, common cow wheat Melampyrum pratense, a species of restricted distribution in the Chilterns. Other locally uncommon plants occur in deep beech litter on the northern slope. Broad leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine, which occurs sparingly in woods throughout Britain, is present in a number of localities and is very variable in form, partly dependent on the intensity of light available. Another orchid, the green flowered helleborine Epipactis phyllanthes, a self pollinating plant restricted to woods in Southern England, is found in one area. The narrow lipped helleborine Epipactis leptochila, a plant not recognised as a separate species until 1921 and with an uncertain distribution in Britain, has also been recorded. Two uncommon plant species which feed on decaying plant material and have fungal associates in their rootstocks, also occur, bird's nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis has a widely scattered, but localised distribution in Britain, whereas the less common yellow bird's nest Hypopitys monotropa is more strictly associated with the southern chalk.
Species mentioned
Show the 17 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusInsects 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.
| Species | Status | Via host-plant |
|---|---|---|
| Heath fritillary Melitaea athalia |
Endangered | Digitalis purpurea, Melampyrum pratense |
| Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata |
Vulnerable | Galium spp. |
| Grayling Hipparchia semele |
Vulnerable | Deschampsia cespitosa |
| Bedstraw hawk-moth Hyles gallii |
Vulnerable | Galium spp. |
| The anomalous Stilbia anomala |
Vulnerable | Deschampsia cespitosa |
| Beaded chestnut Agrochola lychnidis |
Near Threatened | Ranunculus spp. |
| Grey chi Antitype chi |
Near Threatened | Digitalis purpurea |
| Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa |
Near Threatened | Galium spp. |
| Dark-barred twin-spot carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata |
Near Threatened | Galium spp. |
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
W12 — Beech wood
Fagus sylvatica-Mercurialis perennis woodland
Matches 5 species from the description above: Deschampsia cespitosa, Galium odoratum, Mercurialis perennis, Neottia nidus-avis, Sanicula europaea
Show 91 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens, Carpinus betulus, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Aesculus hippocastanum, Fraxinus excelsior, Prunus avium, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Buxus sempervirens, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Viburnum opulus, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Crataegus monogyna, Daphne laureola, Carex flacca, Carex sylvatica, Mnium hornum, Plagiomnium undulatum, Fissidens taxifolius, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thamnobryum alopecurum, Tamus communis, Anthriscus sylvestris, Heracleum sphondylium, Sanicula europaea, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Mycelis muralis, Solidago virgaurea, Cynoglossum officinale, Alliaria petiolata, Campanula trachelium, Lonicera periclymenum, Silene dioica, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Hypericum hirsutum, Iris foetidissima, Ajuga reptans, Glechoma hederacea, Lamiastrum galeobdolon, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Chamerion angustifolium, Circaea lutetiana, Epilobium montanum, Cephalanthera damasonium, Neottia nidus-avis, Neottia ovata, Veronica chamaedrys, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ficaria verna, Ranunculus bulbosus, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Galium mollugo sens.lat., Galium odoratum, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis ramosa, Dactylis glomerata, Deschampsia cespitosa, Melica uniflora, Milium effusum, Poa nemoralis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas
W14 — Beech wood, Wood pasture
Fagus sylvatica-Rubus fruticosus woodland
Matches 5 species from the description above: Deschampsia cespitosa, Digitalis purpurea, Epipactis helleborine, Galium odoratum, Mercurialis perennis
Show 76 indicator speciesHedera helix, Salix caprea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Pinus sylvestris, Prunus avium, Sorbus aria, Sorbus aucuparia, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Sambucus nigra, Ruscus aculeatus, Ligustrum vulgare, Carex remota, Carex sylvatica, Luzula pilosa, Mnium hornum, Dicranella heteromalla, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens taxifolius, Brachythecium rutabulum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Isothecium myosuroides, Kindbergia praelonga, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichum commune, Polytrichum formosum, Arum maculatum, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Stellaria media agg., Euphorbia amygdaloides, Mercurialis perennis, Hypericum pulchrum, Lamiastrum galeobdolon, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Epipactis helleborine, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Geum urbanum, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium odoratum, Galium verum, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Agrostis stolonifera, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis ramosa, Dactylis glomerata, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Melica uniflora, Milium effusum, Poa nemoralis, Poa trivialis, Schedonorus giganteus, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas
W15 — Beech wood, Wood pasture
Fagus sylvatica-Deschampsia flexuosa woodland
Matches 1 species from the description above: Luzula sylvatica
Show 54 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Betula pubescens, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus hybrid, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, Pinus sylvestris, Sorbus aucuparia, Taxus baccata, Calluna vulgaris, Rhododendron ponticum, Vaccinium myrtillus, Ruscus aculeatus, Carex pilulifera, Luzula pilosa, Luzula sylvatica, Mnium hornum, Orthodontium lineare, Dicranella heteromalla, Dicranum scoparium, Leucobryum glaucum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum cupressiforme, Kindbergia praelonga, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Thuidium tamariscinum, Polytrichum formosum, Tetraphis pellucida, Calypogeia fissa, Diplophyllum albicans, Gymnocolea inflata, Lepidozia reptans, Cladonia fimbriata, Cladonia squamules, Lonicera periclymenum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Chamerion angustifolium, Oxalis acetosella, Rubus fruticosus agg., Melanpyrum pratense, Agrostis capillaris, Deschampsia flexuosa, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Molinia caerulea, Poa nemoralis, Blechnum spicant, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris dilatata