Mayhill Wood

Also within

Herefordshire County Malvern Hills Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Silurian · Rock Type: Limestone

Description

Area, 7.2 ha. 17.8 ac. Description Mayhill Wood lies on a ridge of Silurian limestone on the western side of the Malvern Hillsnear Ledbury. It has been selected as an example of the characteristic sessile oak Quercus petraea woods with ash Fraxinus excelsior and small leaved lime Tilia cordata which are found on the limestones in the Malvern area. A special feature of this woodland is the abundance of yew Taxus baccata which here achieves complete dominance in certain areas of the wood forming pure stands. Such a dominance of yew is unusual in Britain and only found in certain areas such as the South Downs in Sussex and Hampshire. In the rest of the wood where yew is less dominant, a wide variety of trees and shrubs occur including silver birch Betula pendula, wild cherry Prunus avium, rowan Sorbus aucuparia and wild service tree Sorbus torminalis, the last being an indicator of ancient woodland. hazel Corylus avellana dominates much of the shrub layer but other characteristic species are also present, such as wild privet Ligustrum vulgare, dogwood Cornus sanguinea, holly Ilex aquifolium and wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana. The ground flora is sparse in the yew dominated areas, where dense shade prevents plant colonisation. In other areas, a variety of lime loving species occur including wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides, sanicle Sanicula europaea and woodruff Galium odoratum. The woodland fauna includes native polecat Mustela putorius and dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius. The invertebrate fauna is significant with a number of local moth species such as satin beauty Deileptenia ribeata and beautiful hook tip Laspeyria flexula whose larvae are associated with the yew trees.

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.