Great Hormead Park

Also within

Hertfordshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland

Description

Description great Hormead Park is an important example of ancient woodland on the boulder clays of south east England. The long history of traditional coppice with standards management here has maintained a mosaic of dominant tree species, notably wych elm Ulmus glabra and hornbeam Carpinus betulus. The richness of the ground flora is derived from this diversity of woodland stand types. Pedunculate oak Quercus robur grow above a tall coppice of hazel Corylus avellana, field maple Acer campestre and ash Fraxinus excelsior with wych elm stools locally abundant. In the northern half of the wood coppiced hornbeam forms almost pure stands. Aspen Populus tremula is present in small groves whilst silver birch Betula pendula is scattered throughout. hawthorn Crataegus monogyna is a major constituent of the sparse shrub layer together with the scarcer midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata, dogwood Cornus sanguinea and privet Ligustrum vulgare. Dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis is dominant over much of the woodland floor, but a striking change is seen under the hornbeam's dense shade. Here are found scattered bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and hairy wood rush Luzula pilosa amongst patches of bare leaf litter. In this area primrose Primula vulgaris is associated with oxlip P. elatior at its only known county locality. Hybridisation results in a complete range of variation from one species to the other. Damper areas support Angelica Angelica sylvestris, tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa and meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria. Both adder's tongue fern Ophioglossum vulgatum and greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha are known from restricted locations whilst found throughout the wood are herb paris Paris quadrifolia, twayblade Neottia ovata, early purple orchid Orchis mascula and goldilocks buttercup Ranunculus auricomus. Pendulous sedge Carex pendula occurs in quantity close to a pond which adds a wetland element to the diverse flora.

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.