Kirton Wood, Lincolnshire

Also within

Lincolnshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Description

Description Kirton Wood is a species rich example of ash lime woodland, a woodland type which is mainly concentrated in Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties. It is one of a group of similar ancient woodlands developed on the calcareous clay soils of the Kesteven plateau, but is unusual in its abundance of small leaved lime Tilia cordata. The wood has a coppice with standards structure. Ash Fraxinus excelsior and pedunculate oak Quercus robur are dominant over much of the wood, with small leaved lime abundant in the eastern half. At the southern end of the wood, aspen Populus tremula and birch Betula spp. form part of the canopy. The varied understorey consists mainly of coppiced hazel Corylus avellana and field maple Acer campestre and also includes mildly calicole species such as wild privet Ligustrum vulgare, midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata, dogwood Cornus sanguinea and spindle Euonymus europaeus. A rich ground flora is present, with water avens Geum rivale dominant in the wetter areas and plants such as dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and bramble Rubus fruticosus locally dominant elsewhere. Frequent species include bugle Ajuga reptans, lords and ladies Arum maculatum, false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, pignut Conopodium majus, wood forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica, primrose Primula vulgaris, and common dog violet Viola riviniana. Occasional patches of more acidic soil support bracken Pteridium aquilinum, creeping soft grass Holcus mollis and scaly male fern Dryopteris affinis. Less common plants such as nettle leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium and broad leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine also occur within the wood. South of Kirton Wood is an area of damp unimproved neutral grassland with several plants characteristic of calcareous clay pastures, including quaking grass Briza media, betony Betonica officinalis, hoary ragwort Senecio erucifolius and great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis. The tall vegetation present in this area provides an ideal habitat for invertebrates.

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