Wenlock Edge

Also within

Shropshire County Shropshire Hills Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland, Mixed scrub, Montane scrub

Geology & landscape

Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Geological Period: Silurian · Rock Type: Limestone, Shale

Description

Description Wenlock Edge is a scarp of Silurian limestone which runs for over thirty kilometres 18.6 miles from Craven Arms to Much Wenlock. It is a prominent and well known feature and is of interest for its extensive exposures of rocks of the Wenlock series Silurian and for the woodland, scrub and grassland that occur along the ridge. The site consists of several separate localities in the northern part of the Edge west of Much Wenlock. Biology The scarp slope of Wenlock Edge is continuously wooded, but replanting with conifers has reduced and fragmented the original broadleaved woodland. The site includes the two largest areas of semi natural woodland remaining in the northern part of the Edge, at Blakeway Coppice and Edge Wood. Parts of these woods conform to a ‘stand type ’characterised by ash Fraxinus excelsior, wych elm Ulmus glabra and sessile oak Quercus petraea which is confined to Silurian limestones and shale in the Welsh Marches. The only other significant examples of this woodland in Shropshire are at Tick Wood and Wolverton Wood. The Wenlock Edge woodlands are rich in tree and shrub species. As well as sessile oak, ash and wych elm these include field maple Acer campestre, small leaved lime Tilia cordata, wild cherry Prunus avium, crab apple Malus sylvestris, hazel Corylus avellana, holly Ilex aquifolium, yew Taxus baccata and wild service tree Sorbus torminalis. Mature trees of wych elm are now scarce owing to Dutch elm disease. There is a diverse ground flora in which the most abundant species are dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, woodruff Galium odoratum, sanicle Sanicula europaea, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella, great wood rush Luzula sylvatica, tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa and false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum. The flora of Edge Wood includes two uncommon species, wood barley Hordelymus europaeus and violet helleborine Epipactis purpurata. Scrub communities are found mainly on old quarry sites. hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, dog rose Rosa canina, birch Betula sp., spindle Euonymus europaeus and dogwood Cornus sanguinea form mixed scrub which is locally dense. In some places extensive bryophyte carpets, consisting mainly of Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus and Hylocomium splendens, occur beneath the scrub. Grasslands are now scarce on Wenlock Edge and are confined to two or three small areas above rock outcrops and to somewhat larger examples in areas previously disturbed by quarrying. Some of these grasslands are dominated by upright brome Bromus erectus, a species virtually absent from the limestone grasslands of north west Shropshire where the only other area of significant limestone outcrops in the county occurs. Other abundant grasses include quaking grass Briza media, cock’s foot Dactylis glomerata and red fescue Festuca rubra. Among characteristic calcicolous lime loving species which occur here are pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis, yellow wort Blackstonia perfoliata, hoary plantain Plantago media, greater knapweed Centaurea scabiosa and fairy flax Linum catharticum. Geology The world famous Wenlock Limestone outcrops of Wenlock Edge rank amongst Britain’s most important geological sites. Studied by generations of geologists, the Edge remains akey research and educational locality. These are the finest sections available in the Wenlock Limestone and they provide the best examples of reef development during the Silurian Period in Britain. The limestones contain a rich fossil fauna and many fossil species, particularly of corals, brachiopods, trilobites and ostracods were first described from specimens collected here, Wenlock Edge is thus the standard or type locality for these species. The middle part of the Silurian Period is named the Wenlock Series after this area and localities within this site constitute the best sections available in the upper part of the Wenlock Series. This is a site of international significance for its stratigraphy and its unrivalled reef exposures.

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