Church Woods, Blean

Also within

Kent County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area, 297.07 ha. 733.76 ac. Description This site is one of the most extensive areas of broadleaved woodland remaining in the Forest of Blean and is representative of these woodlands which are situated on London Clay. One nationally rare species of butterfly the heath fritillary is present and in addition an outstanding assemblage of invertebrate species has been recorded. The traditional coppice with standards management of the woods has, together with climatic, soil and other factors, given rise to the great biological interest currently present. In addition to the sweet chestnut, numerous native species of tree are found in the coppice with hornbeam, hazel, beech and oak among the most frequent. Both pedunculate and sessile oaks are found, as coppice and as standards, but sessile oaks are more abundant. There is much birch present in the coppice and in less productive areas. Brambles Rubus fruticosus, bracken Pteridium aquilinum and bluebells Hyacinthoides non-scripta tend to be the dominant plants of the woodland floor but many other species are present. A number are more or less restricted to woodland such as this which has remained free of total clearance for centuries. These include greater wood rush Luzula sylvatica, wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides, butcher's broom Ruscus aculeatus and wood melick Melica uniflora. Several small trees and shrubs also fall into this category wild service tree and midland hawthorn are most frequent here. Many of the woodland rides have a rich flora, with such species as beautiful St John's wort Hypericum pulchrum, purging flax Linum catharticum, common centaury Centaurium erythraea, common spotted orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii and wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa and on the most acidic, gravelly soils, ling heather Calluna vulgaris. Numerous uncommon invertebrates have been recorded from this site and especially from the National Nature Reserve, including beetles, millipedes and bugs. A good range of woodland birds is present, including three woodpecker species, eight warblers and six tits. Several species which regularly breed here are elsewhere rather scarce in East Kent; these include woodcock, nightjar, redstart and wood warbler. The area has especially good numbers of nightingales.

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