Ervey Wood

Also within

Londonderry County

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Ervey Wood oakwood Dalradian The area is of special scientific interest because of its woodland flora and characteristic associated fauna. It exhibits both a notable structural diversity and a wide variation in woodland character. This variation ranges from calcifugous acid to strongly flushed woodland and has resulted in a diversity of plant communities and a richness of plant species. The site extends for over lkm along the flanks and floor of the Burntollet Glen and contains a variety of physical features. These physical features include a number of small waterfalls and wet rock faces, as well as a series of high cliffs and a broad flood plain along the river, all of which contribute to the overall diversity of the site. The woodland covering the upper, freely-draining and leached slopes of the valley is of moderately calcifugous character, with a canopy dominated by sessile oak Quercus petraea along with frequent and sometimes locally dominant downy birch Betula pubescens and beech Fagus sylvatica, the latter having been widely planted in the past. The understorey is mostly of hazel Corylus avellana, with holly Ilex aguifolium and regenerating canopy species. The predominant ground flora is characterised by bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, with wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella, ferns and bryophytes the main associates. Where stronger leaching occurs resulting in more acidic conditions, bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and greater wood rush Luzula sylvatica are locally dominant. The lower sides of the valley undergo widespread flushing and mineral enrichment and are covered by a flushed woodland. The canopy here is characterised by the predominance of ash Fraxinus excelsior, alder Alnus glutinosa and willow Salix spp., while the understorey remains dominated by Corylus avellana. The flushed ground flora is mainly composed of a mixture of meadow sweet Filipendula ulmaria, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, lesser celandine Ranunculus ficaria and creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens. https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/ervey-wood-assi

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