Shaugh Prior Woods

Also within

Devon County DARTMOOR National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland, Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Granite

Landscape processes: Volcanic / Igneous

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Shaugh Prior Woods SSSI Description The site is important for its ancient oak woodlands which support a rich lichen and moss flora including some rare and local species of lichen. Situated on the south-west of Dartmoor the site is subjected to a strong Atlantic climate. Within an altitude range of 250 to 800 metres, the woodlands cover the steep valley slopes around the confluence of the Rivers Meavy and Plym. The parent rocks are granite and other acid igneous types and are frequently exposed as clitter or faces. The soils are well drained and of a gritty, loamy nature with a humose surface horizon in places. The woodland canopy is dominated by pedunculate oak Quercus robur and is largely derived from former coppice. Sessile oak Q. petraea, beech Fagus sylvatica, ash Fraxinus excelsior and birch Betula spp. are present as co-dominants. Alder Alnus glutinosa occupies the banksides. The understorey is dominated by hazel Corylus avellana with holly Ilex aquifolium, rowan Sorbus aucuparia and hawthorn Crataegus monogyna being locally abundant; alder Buckthorn Frangula alnus is scattered throughout the woods. The ground flora, which is heavily grazed in places by sheep, has as its main constituents bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus, bramble Rubus fruticosus, creeping softgrass Holcus mollis and bent grasses Agrostis spp. honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum, wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella, herb robert Geranium robertianum and heath bedstraw Galium saxatile are frequent, while patches of greater woodrush Luzula sylvatica occur along the river banks. Ferns are locally abundant, particularly on the moister, north facing slopes: typical species include male-fern Dryopteris filix-mas, broad buckler-fern Dryopteris dilatata, scaly male-fern Dryopteris affinis and hard fern Blechnum spicant. Bracken Pteridium aquilinum occurs throughout and forms dense stands along woodland edges. Tunbridge filmy-fern Hymenophyllum tunbrigense is well established, especially near the rivers. The rich lichen communities vary through the site according to the degree of exposure. Around the sheltered, lower valleys the community is characterised by lowland old forest species such as Arthonia didyma, Loxospora elatina, Pannaria conoplea, Sticta limbata, Parmelia reddenda and Thelotrema lepadinum. Locally rare species include Alectoria subcana, Porina coralloidea and Enterographa hutchinsiae. On higher ground a lichen flora occurs that is typical of exposed, upland oak woods with a high rainfall. Parmelia laevigata, P. taylorensis, Ochrolechia androgyna and Cladonia spp. are characteristically abundant, whilst Alectoria fuscescens, Sphaerophorus globosus and the rare, western Parmelia endochlora and Graphina ruiziana occur. There is a typical woodland breeding bird population, with such species as buzzard Buteo buteo, tawny owl Strix aluco, great spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major and nuthatch Sitta europaea, whilst dipper Cinclus cinclus and grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea nest alongside the watercourses.

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