Bardney Limewoods, Lincolnshire

Also within

Lincolnshire County

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

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Peatland / Mire

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description Britain's greatest concentration of woodlands dominated by small leaved lime Tilia cordata occur in the Bardney Forest area of Lincolnshire. They exhibit a species composition believed to have been prevalent in lowland Britain in the Atlantic Period, some 5 to 8000 years ago. Management of these sites as coppice or high forest has continued since at least the 11th century. In addition to extensive tracts of pure small leaved lime, other canopy forming species are ash Fraxinus excelsior, pedunculate oak Quercus robur and birches Betula pendula and Betula pubescens. Where a greater depth of sandy drift over the underlying clays imparts strongly acidic conditions sessile oak Quercus petraea is typical. Trees and shrubs with a preference for more lime rich soils also occur and include wild cherry Prunus avium, wych elm Ulmus glabra and field maple Acer campestre. The shrub layer includes hazel Corylus avellana, holly Ilex aquifolium, alder buckthorn Frangula alnus and midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata. A feature of low lying area with a permanently high water table is the dominance of alder Alnus glutinosa and the ground flora is particularly rich in mosses, including Sphagnum species. The ground flora of the sandy acidic soils is locally dominated by lily of the valley Convallaria majalis. Also present are hairy wood rush Luzula pilosa, bracken Pteridium aquilinum, heath speedwell Veronica officinalis and slender St. John's wort Hypericum pulchrum. Increased proportions of clay in the soil lead to wet areas in which water avens Geum rivale, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon and woodruff Galium odoratum are abundant. At least two of the woods support the greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha, herb paris Paris quadrifolia and the bird's nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis. The lime woods are well known for their moth and butterfly populations which still include white admiral, dingy and grizzled skippers, purple hairstreak and brown hairstreak, bee hawk moths and many other scarce moth species. Vertebrates include badgers, four species of bat and breeding woodcock and nightingale. Some of the most important heronries (grey heron) in the county are found in these woods.

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