Hales and Shadwell Woods

Also within

Essex County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Glacial Till

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Description Hales and Shadwell Woods are ancient, coppice with standards woods of the wet ash maple woodland type, situated on the Chalky Boulder Clay of north west Essex, less than half a mile apart. They are under active coppice management and support a rich assemblage of plants and animals, including two nationally uncommon plant species. The canopy in both woods is dominated by pedunculate oak Quercus robur and ash Fraxinus excelsior over coppiced hazel Corylus avellana, hornbeam Carpinus betulus and field maple Acer campestre. The shrub layer is particularly diverse and, in addition to the coppice stools, includes wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana, guelder rose Viburnum opulus, Spurge laurel Daphne laureola, dogwood Cornus sanguinea, red currant Ribes sylvestris and wild privet Ligustrum vulgare. The ground flora is dominated by bramble Rubus sp., dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and oxlip Primula elatior, a nationally uncommon plant confined to woods over Chalky Boulder Clay in East Anglia. meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria is abundant in the wetter areas. sanicle Sanicula europaea and bugle Ajuga reptans occur in both woods and wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, herb paris Paris quadrifolia, tutsan Hypericum androsaemum and narrow leaved everlasting pea Lathyrus sylvestris in Shadwell Wood. Seven species of orchid have also been recorded from Shadwell Wood, including greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha and bird's nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis. In addition to oxlip, Hales Wood also supports primrose Primula vulgaris and oxlip primrose hybrids P. vulgaris x elatior. Shadwell Wood also includes a number of herb rich grass rides, which provide valuable additional habitat for invertebrates.

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.