Out and Plunder Woods

Also within

Cambridgeshire CountySuffolk County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Glacial Till

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Area, 28 hectares 70 ac Description These woodlands are of ancient origin and hold plant and animal communities of three main association types, namely wet ash maple, which is the dominant type, together with hazel ash and lowland pedunculate oak hazel types. The woods are situated over chalky Boulder Clay which further influences the components of the associated plant and animal communities. Such woodland types are restricted to the heavy soils of lowland England and have undergone a rapid decline in their extent during the latter half of this Century. The Out and Plunder Woods have remained relatively unmodified since the Middle Ages and as such stable conditions have endured which allow for the maintenance of rich and diverse plant and animal communities. Of note is the presence of the oxlip Primula elatior, a plant which is restricted to ancient Boulder Clay woodlands and occurs mainly in Cambridgeshire and Essex. The site comprises two main woodland blocks, Out Wood and Sparrows Grove and Plunder Wood, all of which have been traditionally managed as coppice with standards. Dominant tree species are ash Fraxinus excelsior and field maple Acer campestre, which occur as mature coppice. Oak Quercus robur standards are present throughout the wood and oak coppice occurs in Plunder Wood. The ‘small coppice’ of hazel Corylus avellana provides understorey structure together with shrubs such as wild privet Ligustrum vulgare, guelder rose Viburnum opulus, dogwood Cornus sanguinea and spindle Euonymus europaeus. The ground flora is typically of dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and oxlip Primula elatior, together with areas dominated by low bramble Rubus fruticosus and bluebell, with herb Robert Geranium robertianum, sweet violet Viola odorata and early dog violet Viola reichenbachiana. Other herbs include water avens Geum rivale, hairy wood rush Luzula pilosa, wood sedge Carex sylvatica and wood speedwell Veronica montana. A dry, acid influence occurs where patches of sand and gravel lienear the surface. This is unusual for the county and supports less common flora including a variety of mosses such as Leucobryum glaucum and Pleuridium subulatum. The grassy rides provide additional habitat diversity and further enhance the value of this well structured woodland for bird, invertebrate and other animal life.

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.