Wettenhall and Darnhall Woods

Also within

Cheshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Area, 52.6 ha. 130.0 ac. Description Cheshire is a poorly wooded county and many of the woodlands of the highest wildlife value survive in steep valleys or ‘cloughs’. The upper slopes of the cloughs usually have leached acidic soils derived from glacial deposits, whilst the lower slopes which cut through Keuper Marl are more base rich. The variations in soils and drainage result in dramatic differences in the species composition of the canopy and ground flora, often over short distances. This increased diversity adds considerably to the wildlife value of the woodland. Wettenhall and Darnhall Woods consists of a series of woodlands and grasslands lying in the valley of the Wettenhall Brook. The woodland is large and diverse containing the best example of a suckering elm woodland in Cheshire. The areas of unimproved grassland contain many uncommon species adding considerably to the value and interest of this site. Most of the woodland is dominated by pedunculate oak Quercus robur, ash Fraxinus excelsior and hazel Corylus avellana, but in places English elm Ulmus procera is or was abundant. There are a number of the uncommon wild service tree Sorbus torminalis present and in the wetter areas alder Alnus glutinosa is common. In most parts of the wood the shrub layer is well developed consisting of hazel, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, blackthorn Prunus spinosa and elder Sambucus nigra. dogwood Cornus sanguinea and spindle Euonymus europaeus are also present but are infrequent. On the upper slopes of the wood creeping soft grass Holcus mollis, male fern and broad buckler fern Dryopteris filix-mas and Dryopteris dilatata and bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta are abundant. On the lower slopes species such as dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, wood melick Melica uniflora and woodruff Galium odoratum occur. Two uncommon species are present, giant bellflower Campanula latifolia and thin spiked wood sedge Carex strigosa. Several wet areas are dominated by common reed Phragmites australis and yellow iris Iris pseudacorus. The two areas of grasslands are botanically rich. The westerly has uncommon species such as spiny rest-harrow Ononis spinosa, pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus and saw wort Serratula tinctoria. The eastern is notable for the abundance of cowslip Primula veris, common spotted orchid Dactylorhiza maculata, common fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica and lousewort Pedicularis sylvatica.

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.