Bishop's Wood

Also within

West Glamorgan County GOWER Scenic Area

Habitats

Bracken scrub

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Limestone

Description

Description Bishop’s Wood is of special interest for its semi-natural broadleaved woodland. The site is situated approximately 10 km to the west of Swansea covering both sides of a steep sided limestone valley , running in a south-easterly direction into Caswell Bay. The underlying limestone is overlain by shallow loamy, brown rankers soil and the altitude ranges from 10-70m. Most of the woodland is co-dominated by tall mature maiden ash Fraxinus excelsior and oak Quercus spp, with a dense shrub layer of hazel Corylus avellana, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, field maple Acer campestre, holly Ilex aquifolium with regeneration of ash and some sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus. Also present but at a lower cover are spindle Euonymus europaeus, blackthorn Prunus spinosa, elder Sambucus nigra, young beech Fagus sylvatica and a localised presence of lime Tilia xeuropaea. There is a dense, species rich field layer comprising species such as wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, ivy Hedera helix hart’s-tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and broad-buckler fern Dryopteris dilatata. The field layer also contains many other species including dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, herb Robert Geranium robertianum and ramsons Allium ursinum. The ground layer is generally sparse comprising mainly the mosses Thamnobryum alopecurum, Brachythecium rutabulum and Eurhynchium praelongum, with the former in particular being indicative of calcareous soils. The field layer also contains a number of other species, including dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, herb Robert Geranium robertianum and ransoms Allium ursinum. The soil layer is generally thin, mainly including the mosses Thamnobryum alopecurum, Brachythecium rutabulum and Eurhynchium praelongum, the former in particular is an indicator of calcareous soil. The upper slopes of the eastern side of the valley are dominated by a mature, relatively dense canopy of oak. The shrub layer comprises mainly holly and hazel with scattered hawthorn, sycamore and beech. Here the field layer consists predominantly of bramble Rubus fruticosus and bracken Pteridium aquilinum with locally frequent cow-wheat Melampyrum pratense and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum. Remarks: Together with four other sites in the area Bishop’s Wood is part of Gower Ash Woods cSAC which supports woodland vegetation assignable to the habitat type ‘Tilio-Acerion forest of slope, screes and ravines’ listed on Annex 1 of the EC Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43 EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and Wild Flora and Fauna).

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