Burderop Wood

Also within

Wiltshire County North Wessex Downs Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Greensand

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description Burderop is an example of wet ash maple and acid pedunculate oak hazel ash woodland, with a rich associated ground flora. Large numbers of mature oaks and extensive areas of permanently saturated ground add to the interest. The wood has developed on a north facing scarp of Upper Greensand which falls away to more gentle slopes of Gault Clay, with smaller areas of Lower Greensand and Kimmeridge Clay. Numerous springs emerge at the base of the scarp and this has led to the formation of large wet flushes and small ponds. Part of Burderop Wood has a naturally varied structure due to the effects of steep slopes and Dutch elm disease. Further structural diversity has arisen as a result of coppicing and thinning in small areas and regular mowing of the ride system. The most widespread tree is ash Fraxinus excelsior, both as standards and coppice, but an unusually large number of mature oak standards also occur. Silver birch Betula pendula, field maple Acer campestre and holly Ilex aquifolium are of more restricted distribution. The greensand scarp supports wych elm Ulmus glabra, now beginning to regenerate following attacks of Dutch elm disease. On the lower slopes some disease affected English elm U. procera is also regenerating. There are several areas of old sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus coppice. Where the canopy is open a well developed and diverse shrub layer occurs, including wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana, guelder rose Viburnum opulus, spindle Euonymus europaeus, wild privet Ligustrum vulgare and hawthorn Crataegus monogyna. Red currant Ribes sylvestris occurs widely while coppiced hazel Corylus avellana predominates towards the northern edge of the site. Bracken Pteridium aquilinum occurs frequently on the greensand, whereas dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis and bramble Rubus fruticosus agg. are common throughout the middle of the wood and bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta is abundant on the lowest clay slopes. great horsetail Equisetum telmateia dominates in areas of impeded drainage at the foot of the scarp, together with opposite leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium. The latter is also widespread in other damp parts of the wood. Spiked star of Bethlehem Ornithagalum pyrenacium, a species of nationally restricted distribution, occurs amongst a wide range of woodland ground flora. These include herb paris Paris quadrifolia, broadleaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine, sweet woodruff Galium odoratum, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, sanicle Sanicula europaea and moschatel Adoxa moschatellina. The site supports a range of typical woodland birds and other animals. great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, mistle thrush and sparrowhawk occur, in addition to several tit and warbler species. Invertebrate diversity is favoured because of variation in the canopy cover.

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