Capler Wood

Also within

Herefordshire County WYE VALLEY (England) Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Fast flowing river and stream

Description

Area, 5.98 ha. 14.8 ac. Description A block of ancient native broadleaved scarp woodland forming part of Capler Woods which lie adjacent to the River Wye between Hereford and Ross. This section of the Wye Valley is agricultural in character and Capler Wood forms a valuable oasis for wildlife in this area. The woodland consists of two main structural types. The first is dominated by sessile oak Quercus petraea and small leaved lime Tilia cordata with alder Alnus glutinosa in the lower parts of the wood near the river. This type of woodland has a good shrub layer with species such as field maple Acer campestre and hazel Corylus avellana. The second type is dominated by ash Fraxinus excelsior with occasional sessile oak Quercus petraea and birch Betula pendula. The shrub layer is mainly dominated by hazel Corylus avellana. In parts there is good regeneration of ash. The scarce, large leaved lime Tilia platyphyllos has also been recorded in the area in the past. The ground vegetation is richer in the oak dominated woodland with wood melick Melica uniflora, greater wood rush Luzula sylvatica and cow wheat Melampyrum pratense as characteristic species. Other notable plants are nettle leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium and fingered sedge Carex digitata, a nationally rare species. The ash woodland ground flora is less interesting, dominated mainly by bracken Pteridium aquilinum and bramble Rubus fruticosus. The woodland is rich in mosses and ferns. Hart’s tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium, in particular, is present in large numbers.

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