Fivehead Woods and Meadow

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Coppiced woodland, Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Alluvium

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description This woodland complex is situated on a ridge of land overlooking West Sedgemoor. The woods are of the ash – field maple – dog's mercury Fraxinus excelsior – Acer campestre – Mercurialis perennis type, which has a limited distribution in great Britain. The meadow on flatter land to the north of Fivehead Wood, is a species rich, neutral grassland of the nationally rare common knapweed – crested dog's tail Centaurea nigra – Cynosurus cristatus community type. Further interest is added to the site by a large breeding colony of grey heron Ardea cinerea in one of the woods and also by the presence of breeding pairs of nightingales Luscinia megarhynchos. Buzzards Buteo buteo and sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus also breed. The common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius a rare species protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended, is found in at least one of the woods. The woods are situated on soils of the Evesham 1 and Worcester Association which are slowly permeable and clayey and comprise pedunculate oak Quercus robur standards with a coppice of ash, field maple and hazel Corylus avellana. There are also scattered wych elm Ulmus glabra, though these now mainly survive only as small stems in the understorey. A notable feature of Chilly Copse and the eastern section of Fivehead Wood is the abundance of tall coppiced small leaved lime Tilia cordata effectively forming high forest. The small leaved lime is also scattered throughout the other woods especially on the slopes. Another tree species which is found here, wild service tree Sorbus torminalis, is regarded as a good indicator that the woods are ancient in origin. Wild cherry Prunus avium is also present. The shrub layer is rich and varied with hazel the most common species. Other shrub species which are common include dogwood Cornus sanguinea, wild privet Ligustrum vulgare, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, blackthorn Prunus spinosa, spindle Euonymus europaeus and guelder rose Viburnum opulus. The ground flora in the woods is dominated by dog's mercury and bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta with abundant ivy Hedera helix in places. The typical woodland flora present includes herb paris Paris quadrifolia, primrose Primula vulgaris, goldilocks buttercup Ranunculus auricomus, sanicle Sanicula europaea, common dog violet Viola riviniana and early dog violet Viola reichenbachiana, woodruff Galium odoratum, lords and ladies Arum maculatum, pignut Conopodium majus, Circaea lutetiana Circaea lutetiana, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, wood avens Geum urbanum, herb Robert Geranium robertianum, wood spruge Euphorbia amygdaloides, stinking iris Iris foetidissima, hart's tongue Asplenium scolopendrium and wood sedge Carex sylvatica. There are also substantial populations of orchid species found in the woods including common spotted orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii, early purple orchid Orchis mascula, common twayblade Neottia ovata, greater butterfly Orchid Platanthera chlorantha and bird's nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis. In Swell Wood East there is a large established heronry (heron), the largest in Somerset, where upto eighty pairs of grey heron breed. In another of the woods the common dormouse a rare and now fully protected mammal inhabits areas of hazel coppice. Other fauna known to breed in the woods are several species of butterfly including silver washed fritillary Argynnis paphia, holly Blue Celastrina argiolus, purple hairstreak Favonius quercus, white admiral Limenitis camilla and the nationally rare white-letter hairstreak Satyrium w-album. The meadow is on Midelney Association soil which is clayey in nature, poorly drained and derived from river alluvium. The following grass species are common in the sward, quaking grass Briza media, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, crested dog's tail and Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus. The herb component of the sward is especially rich with devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis, betony Betonica officinalis, saw wort Serratula tinctoria, rough hawkbit Leontodon hispidus, common bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, lady's bedstraw Galium verum, meadow thistle Cirsium dissectum, cowslip Primula veris and yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor common in the meadow. Other species of interest include corky fruited water dropwort Oenanthe pimpinelloides, green winged orchid Anacamptis morio and common spotted orchid. The sedge species glaucous. sedge Carex flacca and spring sedge Carex caryophyllea are also present. The meadow is bound on its eastern and western boundaries by thick mature hedges with hazel, dogwood, hawthorn, blackthorn, pedunculate oak, ash and bramble Rubus fruticosus, Butterflies present include brown hairstreak Thecla betulae, marbled white Melanargia galathea, orange tip Anthocharis cardamines and common blue Polyommatus icarus.

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