Horningtoft Wood

Also within

Norfolk County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Glacial Till

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Area, 9.05 hectares 22.35 ac Description Horningtoft Wood is a fragment of a once much larger area of ancient woodland. The wood is situated on a boulder clay plateau and has a structure of coppice with standards. A stand type rare in Norfolk, maple ash limewood is present and the ground flora is exceptionally diverse, containing a number of rare and local species. Massive earthworks around the boundary and large stools of ash Fraxinus excelsior are a strong indicator of the antiquity of the wood. The coppice was last cut in the 1930s and is now overgrown. hazel Corylus avellana, ash and maple Acer campestre are the main coppice species with ash and oak Quercus robur standards scattered throughout the wood. Other tree and shrub species present include small leaved lime Tilia cordata, aspen Populus tremula, elder Sambucus nigra, dogwood Cornus sanguinea, rowan Sorbus aucuparia and blackthorn Prunus spinosa. The diverse ground flora is dominated by dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis on the heaviest soils and by bramble Rubus agg. on the lighter soils. herb paris Paris quadrifolia is common throughout the wood and other interesting species include primrose Primula vulgaris, common cow wheat Melampyrum pratense, wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and lily of the valley Convallaria majalis. Four locally rare or scarce species have been recorded in the wood, crested cow wheat Melampyrum cristatum, bird’s nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis, broad leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine and greater butterfly Orchid Platanthera chlorantha.

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.