Papworth Wood

Also within

Cambridgeshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland, Fast flowing river and stream

Description

Area, 8.9 hectares 22.0 ac Description Papworth Wood is known to be one of the oldest secondary woods in Cambridgeshire. Although originally a coppice with standards woodland of ash Fraxinus excelsior, field maple Acer campestre and hazel Corylus avellana the site is now dominated by invasive small leaved elm Ulmus minor and represents a woodland type scarce in the British Isles. The majority of the wood is dominated by clones of small leaved elm with a few contemporary stands of pedunculate oak Quercus robur, field maple and ash. A discontinuous shrub layer is present comprising suckering elm, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and elder Sambucus nigra with other shrub species scattered throughout. The ground flora varies within the wood. Parts are dominated by bramble Rubus agg., rough meadow grass Poa trivialis, stinging nettle Urtica dioica and ground ivy Glechoma hederacea. Many other species are present including bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and primrose Primula vulgaris. Paths, clearings and rides in the wood and a boundary stream provide additional habitats of general wildlife value. The site has been the subject of much research by woodland ecologists and soil scientists and, as a very old secondary woodland, Papworth Wood is of particular importance for the study of factors determining plant colonisation in woodlands.

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