Introduction
This reserve, managed by the Worcester Wildlife Trust is the largest remnant of the Royal Hunting Forest of Feckenham. This forest covered large parts of Worcestershire and west Warwickshire in the Middle Ages, and Chaddesley Woods NNR is likely to have pre-dated even these times.
The site is considered nationally important because it is a good example of an oak-dominated ancient woodland on acidic soils, in which both native oak species are present.
In addition the site includes a number of small unimproved meadows, and has a good range of breeding birds and invertebrates.
Habitats
Woodland
In general, sessile oak is the dominant species on the strongly acidic soils, with pedunculate oak on the loamy clays. Growing alongside the oak are downy birch and rowan, with hazel and midlands hawthorn in the shrub layer. In the less acid areas, the shrub layer also includes holly and wild privet. Small and large-leaved lime along with wild service tree are also present.
Wet woodland is also present in some areas and alongside streams, where alder is the dominant tree.
Meadow
The small, agriculturally unimproved meadows in the site have typical neutral grassland plants including common knapweed, pepper-saxifrage, dyer’s greenweed, saw-wort,
and adder’s-tongue.
Key species
Woodland plants
In the acid areas, the ground flora is is dominated by bracken, bilberry, bluebell and cow-wheat.
Away from the acid areas, there is bramble, yellow archangel, bugle and wood-sorrel.
A number of uncommon plants can be found, such as heath cudweed, herb-Paris and lily-of-the-valley.
Breeding birds
The site supports a typical range of woodland birds, which include woodcock, lesser spotted woodpecker, redstart and tree pipit.
Invertebrates
The site is also important for a variety of insects which are now uncommon in England. A number of nationally rare flies occur here, including the only UK terrestrial caddis-fly. Unlike most caddis flies that are only found in water, the land caddis spends its entire life cycle on land in ancient woodlands, with its larvae living in decaying leaf litter.
Rare woodland beetles which are associated with standing and fallen deadwood on the site, include several longhorn beetles.
Several nationally important moths also occur, including the great oak beauty and the beautiful snout, along with butterflies such as white admiral and silver-washed fritillary.
Further info
Worcestershire’s NNRs:
Worcestershire Wildlife Trust
https://www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/nature-reserves/chaddesley-woods
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