Edford Woods & Meadows

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland, Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Rock Outcrop · Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Limestone, Quartzite

Description

Area, 54.3 ha. 134.1 ac. Description This site is important for the occurrence of a wide range of types of semi natural ancient woodland and for unimproved meadows and pastures of a type which is now uncommon in Britain. The site is located in the Mendip Hills in the narrow valley of the Mells Stream. The geological strata underlying most of the site are Carboniferous Coal Measures which in this locality are shales on which clay rich soils have developed. There is an outcrop of Carboniferous quartzite in Hurdlestone Wood and Carboniferous limestone outcrops in both Hurdlestone and Bector Woods. Most of the woodlands on this site are dominated by ash Fraxinus excelsior, with frequent alder Alnus glutinosa in wetter parts. pedunculate oak Quercus robur and sessile oak Q. petraea occur occasionally as maiden trees, whereas most of the ash and alder has been coppiced in the past. The shrub layer has abundant hazel Corylus avellana much of which has also been coppiced. The ground flora is luxuriant, very species rich and includes a large number of species normally found only in ancient woodlands. The diversity of species is enhanced by the transition from very wet soils in the valley bottom to dry, well drained ground on the upper slopes and by a variation in soil acidity, following the change in geological strata. The Mells Stream flows through Edford Wood and on the river banks monk's hood Aconitum napellus, a nationally scarce plant, grows in abundance. Other species characteristic of the wetter areas in these woods are wild daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus, snowdrop Galanthus nivalis, ramsons Allium ursinum, tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa and water avens Geum rivale. On the better drained ground there is abundant dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis and wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and the associated species includes herb paris Paris quadrifolia, Solomon's seal Polygonatum multiflorum, meadow saffron Colchicum autumnale, wood vetch Vicia sylvatica, early purple orchid Orchis mascula and toothwort Lathraea squamaria. In Hurdlestone Wood the quartzite outcrop gives rise to more acidic, nutrient poor soils and here greater wood rush Luzula sylvatica occurs in abundance under a canopy which includes sessile oak, downy birch Betula pubescens and alder, a highly unusual feature in a Mendip woodland. The meadows and pastures are all located on Carboniferous shales. The sward is characterised by frequent crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus and a variety of other grasses including quaking grass Briza media, downy oat grass Avenula pubescens and yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens. These grasslands contain a high cover and diversity of herb species; particularly abundant in the meadows are, cowslip Primula veris, pignut Conopodium majus, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor, betony Betonica officinalis, common knapweed Centaurea nigra and the nationally scarce corky fruited water dropwort Oenanthe pimpinelloides. The presence of species such as green winged orchid Anacamptis morio, bitter vetch Lathyrus montanus, dyer's greenweed Genista tinctoria, twayblade Neottia ovata and heath spotted orchid Dactylorhiza maculata is further evidence of the unimproved nature of the sward.

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.

Plant communities