Stour and Copperas Woods, Ramsey

Also within

Essex County Suffolk Coast & Heaths Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Habitats

Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Coastal, Glacial

Description

Description Stour and Copperas Woods together comprise the largest area of woodland in north east Essex. They are ancient woods lying on glacial sands and gravels on the southern shore of the Stour Estuary between Wrabness and Ramsey. They have a coppice with standards structure and contain the only example in the county where coastal and woodland habitats meet. The woodland is mainly chestnut Castanea sativa coppice with pedunculate and sessile oak Quercus robur and Q. petraea standards and some ash Fraxinus excelsior. Hornbeam Carpinus betulus, hazel Corylus avellana and small leaved lime Tilia cordata form the other coppice species with maple Acer campestre on the woodland edge. The chestnut stools are exceptionally large. Holly Ilex aquifolium and butcher's broom Ruscus aculeatus occur near the margins. Copperas Wood, whose seaward boundary is an eroding wooded cliff, contains in addition an area of cherry Prunus avium and aspen Populus tremula. The ground flora of the woods is dominated by bramble Rubus fruticosus agg. with bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum widespread. There are large patches of yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon and dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis is found locally. Additional interest is provided by small seasonal pools which are colonised by skullcap Scutellaria galericulata and pendulous sedge Carex pendula. The white admiral butterfly Limenitis camilla whose food plant is honeysuckle, has been recorded sparingly in recent years.

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.