Eye Brook Valley Woods

Also within

Leicestershire County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Description The site includes some of the best remaining examples of ash elm and ash maple woodlands in Leicestershire and is representative of semi natural woodland on clay soils in central and eastern England. Biology A fine complex of small woodlands comprising fragments of the ancient Leighfield Forest which formerly covered extensive areas in east Leicestershire. Park Wood is dominated by ash Fraxinus excelsior and wych elm Ulmus glabra and is developed on soils derived from Upper Lias Clays, while on similar, poorly drained soils of the same strata Bolt Wood lacks the strong elm component and is characterised by ash and field maple Acer campestre. great Merrible Wood is also an ash maple wood and is developed for the most part on soils derived from Glacial Boulder Clays. These woods possess a varied shrub flora which includes hazel Corylus avellana, dogwood Cornus sanguinea, elder Sambucus nigra, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata, guelder rose Viburnum opulus and goat willow Salix caprea. The ground vegetation is dominated by dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis and, locally, by bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and contains species typical of ancient clay woods including ramsons Allium ursinum, early purple orchid Orchis mascula, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, early dog violet Viola reichenbachiana, herb paris Paris quadrifolia and giant bellflower Campanula latifolia. A number of small watercourses flow through the woods and several pools and small marshes also occur. Additional interest is provided by the characteristic flora of the woodland rides and by the variety of the breeding bird community.

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.