Tetford Wood

Also within

Lincolnshire County Lincolnshire Wolds Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Mining / Industrial: Mine Spoil, Quarry · Rock Type: Chalk

Description

Area,5.2 hectares 12.8 ac Description Tetford Wood is one of the few remaining ancient woodlands in Lincolnshire situated directly upon the Wolds chalk. It contains examples of stand types which are nationally uncommon. These include southern calcareous hazel ash woodland and calcareous ash wych elm woodland. The associated ground flora includes plants which are now scarce and decreasing in Lincolnshire. Additional interest is provided by areas of unimproved chalk grassland which have developed on an old spoil heap from the adjacent quarry. Coppiced ash Fraxinus excelsior and hazel Corylus avellana occur throughout the wood and on the lower slopes, wych elm Ulmus glabra and field maple Acer campestre are locally abundant. There is some invasion by sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus. The characteristic shrub layer includes elder Sambucus nigra, common hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, wild privet Ligustrum vulgare and blackthorn Prunus spinosa. Dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis dominates the herb layer of Tetford Wood apart from the local abundance of wild garlic Allium ursinum towards the foot of the slopes. Wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and nettle leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium are fairly frequent, while bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta is locally abundant. Other typical plants include primrose Primula vulgaris, red campion Silene dioica, lesser celandine Ficaria verna, moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, twayblade Neottia ovata and sanicle Sanicula europaea. The richness of the site combined with the presence of a number of the more vulnerable woodland plants, such as herb paris Paris quadrifolia and broad leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine, is indicative of Tetford Wood's ancient origin.

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.