Benington High Wood
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL285235 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 20.66 | 2021-04-26 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Chalk, Glacial Till
Landscape processes: Glacial
Description
Area, 20.7 ha. 51.1 ac. Description Benington High Wood is an ancient woodland and one of the best remaining examples in the county of the pedunculate oak hornbeam woodland of the ash maple variant, which is restricted nationally to south and east England. The wood has a good structure, with areas of both high forest and coppice with standards, interspersed with woodland clearings and broad rides where the species richness of the ground flora is increased. The dominant tree species are pedunculate oak Quercus robur standards and hornbeam Carpinus betulus occurring mainly as overgrown coppice and dominating the well developed shrub layer. Shrub species include field maple Acer campestre, hazel Corylus avellana and midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata; the last is strongly associated with ancient woodlands. The ground flora is characteristic of the woodland type and dominated by dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis and bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta. There are a variety of plants which are associated with ancient woodland sites, including yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and wood sedge Carex sylvatica. The diversity of the ground flora increases where the chalk underlying the boulder clay is close to the surface on the western side. A well planned programme of woodland management, including the re establishment of coppicing is enhancing the value of this site.
Species mentioned
Show the 10 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wood anemone | Anemone nemorosa | LC | herb | ranunculaceae |
| bluebell | Hyacinthoides non-scripta | LC | herb | liliaceae |
| yellow archangel | Lamiastrum galeobdolon | LC | herb | lamiaceae |
| dog's mercury | Mercurialis perennis | LC | herb | euphorbiaceae |
| wood sedge | Carex sylvatica | LC | sedge | cyperaceae |
| midland hawthorn | Crataegus laevigata | LC | shrub | rosaceae |
| field maple | Acer campestre | LC | tree | aceraceae |
| hornbeam | Carpinus betulus | LC | tree | betulaceae |
| hazel | Corylus avellana | LC | tree | corylaceae |
| common oak | Quercus robur | LC | tree | fagaceae |
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.
| Species | Status | Via host-plant |
|---|---|---|
| Oak lutestring Cymatophorina diluta |
Endangered | Quercus robur |
| Figure of eight Diloba caeruleocephala |
Endangered | Crataegus spp. |
| Maple pug Eupithecia inturbata |
Endangered | Acer campestre |
| Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens |
Endangered | Corylus avellana, Crataegus spp., Quercus spp. |
| Mouse moth Amphipyra tragopoginis |
Vulnerable | Crataegus spp. |
| The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx |
Vulnerable | Corylus avellana, Crataegus spp., Quercus spp. |
| Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria |
Vulnerable | Acer campestre, Carpinus betulus, Corylus avellana, Crataegus spp., Quercus spp. |
| The lackey Malacosoma neustria |
Vulnerable | Corylus avellana, Quercus spp. |
| Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria |
Vulnerable | Corylus avellana, Crataegus laevigata, Quercus spp. |
| Early moth Theria primaria |
Vulnerable | Crataegus laevigata, Quercus spp. |
| Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi |
Vulnerable | Corylus avellana, Quercus spp. |
| Oak hook-tip Watsonalla binaria |
Vulnerable | Quercus robur |
| Flounced chestnut Agrochola helvola |
Near Threatened | Quercus spp. |
| Light crimson underwing Catocala promissa |
Near Threatened | Quercus robur |
| Dark crimson underwing Catocala sponsa |
Near Threatened | Quercus robur |
| Heart moth Dicycla oo |
Near Threatened | Quercus robur |
| Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria |
Near Threatened | Corylus avellana, Crataegus spp., Quercus spp. |
| September thorn Ennomos erosaria |
Near Threatened | Quercus spp. |
| Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa |
Near Threatened | Hyacinthoides non-scripta |
| Double dart Graphiphora augur |
Near Threatened | Crataegus spp., Quercus spp. |
| Clay fan-foot Paracolax tristalis |
Near Threatened | Quercus spp. |
| Common fan-foot Pechipogo strigilata |
Near Threatened | Quercus robur |
| Frosted green Polyploca ridens |
Near Threatened | Quercus robur |
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.