Appleton Lower Common

Also within

Oxfordshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Description

Area, 47.3 hectares 117.0 ac Description Appleton Lower Common is a fine example of broad leaved woodland on the Oxford Clay which has remained unmodified by conifer planting or clear felling. Wet ash wych elm woodland, a relatively uncommon woodland stand type is well represented. The rather dense canopy is dominated by relatively young pedunculate oak standards with occasional older oaks and, more locally, by ash standards. The coppice is particularly diverse and includes wych elm, maple, hazel, ash and sycamore. Regeneration is vigorous in areas which are still managed. The shrub layer is well developed and species rich with frequent holly, dogwood, hawthorn, midland hawthorn, privet, crab apple, grey sallow and guelder rose. Aspen, cherry and buckthorn occur occasionally. Blackthorn thickets occur at the wood edge and English elm has invaded the wood in places although the standard trees have now fallen victim to Dutch elm disease. The field layer is typical of wet clay soils and is dominated by brambles and dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis. The flora is locally quite rich and characteristic vascular plants include primrose Primula vulgaris, goldilocks buttercup Ranunculus auricomus, sanicle Sanicula europaea, early purple orchid Orchis mascula, twayblade Neottia ovata and wood anemone Anemone nemorosa. The wet rides have a distinctive flora in which sedges and water pepper Polygonum hydropiper are prominent. The wood is probably a native site for the mezereon Daphne mezereum, a rare shrub which was first recorded here in 1821. The lower plant flora mosses, liverworts, lichens and fungi contains species thought to be confined to ancient woods. Dead standing and fallen timber is frequent and a small woodland pond provides additional variety. The varied structure, diverse species composition and broad sunny rides and glades of the wood provide abundant niches for a rich woodland fauna. A wide variety of woodland butterflies is present including white admiral Limenitis camilla. The wood is a foraging site for larger dragonflies, particularly a scarce riverine species, the club tailed dragonfly Gomphus vulgatissimus. A number of other interesting insect species have been found here recently, including the local slender ground hopper Tetrix subulata.

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.