Minwear Wood

Also within

Dyfed County Arfordir Penfro / Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Climate exposure

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

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Silurian · Rock Type: Sandstone

Landscape processes: Coastal

Description

Description Ancient woodland of sessile oak Quercus petraea with hazel Corylus avellana and downy birch Betula pubescens, situated on the upper reaches of the estuary of Milford Haven. The wood is structurally diverse and has scarce plants, including notable tree species. It is also of special interest for its epiphytic lichens. This predominantly sessile oakwood, developed on red marls of the Old Red Sandstone and Silurian mudstones, is a remnant of the much larger ancient woodland at Minwear. This was described in Elizabethan times as a “great wood or forest”, but most is now a mixed plantation. The eastern end of the site is dominated by sessile oak which reaches 18 metres in height. There is a well developed understorey of holly Ilex aquifolium, rowan Sorbus aucuparia and some hazel. Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus, heather Calluna vulgaris and brambles Rubus spp, dominate the field-layer. More recently coppiced areas have much downy birch and grey willow Salix cinerea, with some alder Alnus glutinosa near the minor streams. Goat willow Salix caprea occurs on the margins of two coppiced areas. The woodland on the slopes above the Eastern Cleddau estuary has ash Fraxinus excelsior and beech Fagus sylvatica, as well as oak, and there is much great woodrush Luzula sylvatica in the field-layer. The beech is not native in Minwear or the rest of West Wales. Broad buckler-fern Dryopteris dilatata, male-fern Dryopteris filix-mas, scaly male-fern Dryopteris affinis, hard fern Blechnum spicant and lady fern Athyrium filix-femina are abundant. Wood millet Milium effusum occurs, along with early-purple orchid Orchis mascula. There are numerous plants indicative of ancient woodland amongst the total of about 120 different higher plants recorded. Scarce plants present are the hay-scented buckler-fern Dryopteris aemula and wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides. Two stands of wild service tree Sorbus torminalis, crab apple Malus sylvestris spp sylvestris and aspen Populus tremula are the most notable tree species. One wild service tree on the estuarine margin is the second largest known in the old county of Pembroke. The 70 different epiphytic lichens found include many associated with ancient woodland. Phyllopsora rosei on ash is of particular interest. The pollution-sensitive Lobaria pulmonaria grows on ash and oak fronting the estuary where the Lobarion communities are especially well developed. About 85 different mosses and liverworts have been recorded, including Nowellia curvifolia, an oceanic liverwort of dead tree trunks. Remarks: Within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

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.