Doddington Clay Woods

Also within

Lincolnshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Glacial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area,23.2 ha Description Old Hag and Little Sale Woods are two ancient semi natural woodlands which have developed on the heavy clay soils derived from scattered outcrops of Lias Clay which occur amongst glacial gravels in the Doddington area of the county. The woods contain representative examples of several stand types now scarce in lowland Britain, such as wet ash wych elm woodland, acid birch ash lime woodland and lowland maple ash lime woodland. Little Sale Wood has a high forest structure, largely derived through the promotion of former coppice. The woodland canopy is dominated by small leaved lime Tilia cordata and ash Fraxinus excelsior, although both silver birch Betula pendula and downy birch Betula pubescens are locally abundant. Field maple Acer campestre and pedunculate oak Quercus robur are scattered throughout the woodland, in addition, shrub species are well represented. Old Hag Wood has a coppice with standards structure, principally of pedunculate oak and ash standards with coppiced hazel Corylus avellana and field maple. In the centre of the wood small leaved lime standards assume local dominance, whereas to the south east corner small leaved lime occurs as coppice. The shrub layer includes both common and midland hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and Crataegus laevigata, spindle Euonymus europaeus, holly Ilex aquifolium, guelder rose Viburnum opulus and wild privet Ligustrum vulgare. Both woodlands have a rich and varied ground flora, reflecting variations in soil moisture and base status. The more acidic areas are characterised by bramble Rubus fruticosus, honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, creeping soft grass Holcus mollis and, in Little Sale Wood, bracken Pteridium aquilinum. Where conditions are more base rich, dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis is locally abundant. Associated plants include bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, primrose Primula vulgaris, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, herb paris Paris quadrifolia, early purple orchid Orchis mascula, water avens Geum rivale and tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa. The wettest areas, which tend to occur along the broad rides, are characterised by meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, lesser pond sedge Carex acutiformis and yellow iris Iris pseudacorus. Old Hag Wood is the site of a large heronry (heron) and also supports a varied community of other breeding birds including woodcock and five species of warbler.

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