Stoke & Bowd Lane Woods

Also within

Northamptonshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Description

Area, 36.6 hectares 90.4 ac Description Stoke and Bowd Lane Woods form a complex of ancient semi natural broad leaved woodland which was once part of the ancient Royal Forest of Rockingham. The underlying soils are of a calcareous clay nature and the vegetation is representative of wet ash maple woodland, a habitat type which has declined in extent throughout the country. The management has traditionally been coppice with standards and in a number of compartments this system is being actively maintained. The dominant standard of the woodland canopy is pedunculate oak Quercus robur with ash Fraxinus excelsior as an important secondary component and occasional birch Betula sp. The density of standards varies across the site and in some areas derelict coppice of field maple Acer campestre and ash has grown up to joined the canopy. The understorey is dominated by coppiced hazel Corylus avellana, field maple and ash with a number of other species occurring occasionally e.g. blackthorn Prunus spinosa, guelder rose Viburnum opulus, dogwood Cornus sanguinea, elder Sambucus nigra and crab apple Malus sylvestris. Honesuckle Lonicera periclymenum, field rose Rosa arvensis and dewberry Rubus caesius are locally abundant. The composition of the ground flora varies with some areas dominated by dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and enchanter’s nightshade Circaea lutetiana and other grasses Deschampsia cespitosa and Bromus ramosa. Frequently occurring species include wood avens Geum urbanum, common spotted orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii, common twayblade Neottia ovata, meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, sanicle Sanicula europaea, primrose Primula vulgaris and male fern Dryopteris filix-mas. Species of particular importance in a woodland context including herb paris Paris quadrifolia, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, early purple orchid Orchis mascula and greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha are locally abundant. Certain of the rides contain a good assemblage of grasses and herbs including nettle leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium and broadleaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine. The more waterlogged areas support abundant brooklime Veronica beccabunga, wood sedge Carex sylvatica, wild angelica Angelica sylvestris and the rushes Juncus articulatus, Juncus bufoniusa and Juncus conglomeratus var. conglomeratus. The site contains at least three county rarities.

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.