Background

College Wood is a remnant of the old Whaddon Chase royal hunting forest, granted to the Giffard family in 1242 and a private hunting chase until 1840. It covered about 2,200 acres and included Shenley and Howe Park woods which we are familiar with from previous visits.

The wood is located in Great Horwood parish, whose lord of the manor at one stage was New College, Oxford; hence the name College Wood.  Horwood is Anglo Saxon for muddy wood, which if you come here at most times of the year is a fair description of the place.  The ancient status of the wood is indicated by plants such as Bluebell, Dog’s Mercury and Yellow Archangel.

The whole wood was subject to a 1950s-60s felling and planting regime by the Forestry Commission; the planted species including Norway Spruce, Larch, Western Red Cedar, Oak, Beech and Scots Pine.

The wood now extends to 52 Ha and is owned by the Woodland Trust, who purchased it in 1999 when the small College Copse, by the car park, was planted.

The woodland was once a SSSI for its invertebrate records but was unfortunately de-notified. Butterfly species such as the Wood White, White Admiral and Purple Hairstreak are present on the site. The Wood White is a rediscovery, having last been seen in the 1980s and thought to be extinct. These species may be responding to increasing light levels in the woodland, particularly along the rides which have been opened up. This, and removal of conifers, is the principal management activity undertaken in the wood, which aims to restore this damaged ancient woodland.

Ash Dieback

There is a lot of Ash in the wood, probably derived from natural regeneration. Much of the Ash is very dense and thin-stemmed, and Ash dieback is widespread and noticeable.

Ash dieback is caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, of eastern Asian origin. Spores are dispersed by wind.

The disease was first confirmed in the UK in February 2012 in a consignment of infected Ash plants sent from a nursery in The Netherlands to a nursery in Buckinghamshire; however, there is evidence that it first entered Great Britain some time before 2006.

Because of the dramatic impact on the landscape caused by the loss of Elms in the ‘70s to Dutch Elm Disease, also caused by a fungus (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi) and in this case spread by Elm Bark Beetles, there is a fear that Ash could also disappear from the landscape. Elm in Britain reproduces largely asexually by suckers, which limits new genetic diversity, and there appears to be no genetic resistance to the disease. On the other hand, ash reproduces sexually and not all trees die of the infection – some appear to have genetic factors which give them tolerance of, or resistance to, the disease.

The disease appears to be more severe on moist sites with high Ash density, as at College Wood. Ash in hedgerows, enjoying better air circulation and more sunlight, appears less affected.

Breeding tolerant Ash is an active research area.

The prevailing management approach to the disease is to fell trees that pose a danger from falling trunks or branches but otherwise to leave dead or dying trees for wildlife.

The visit

From the car park we started along the main entrance ride and made a circular route along cleared rides. More of the ancient woodland flora can be observed from a footpath that runs along much of the perimeter of the wood; however, the going is rough and was not so suitable for our group.

The visit was originally planned for June 27 but was postponed owing to bad weather. In the event, we had a day of sunny intervals and a group of 12 participants.

We found much of natural history interest to look at, photograph and comment on. Stand-outs amongst the plants included plentiful Ragged Robin, and Common Spotted Orchid, just coming into flower. Ash dieback much in evidence but good to see oaks, which look like they were suppressed by the canopy prior to ride clearance, now able to develop. Numerous Beautiful Demoiselle adults and Drinker Moth caterpillars. And among the birds, Garden Warbler and Blackcap singing, and a Sparrow Hawk was viewed by three of us as it sped along a ride.

Being extensive, located close to Milton Keynes but relatively unfrequented, and demonstrating a planted ancient woodland in recovery, makes the site well worth visiting. It would be a great success if the management initiated activity leads it to recover SSSI status.

Species Observed

Invertebrates
Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo

Beautiful Demoiselle (m) Photo©Janice Robertson

Beautiful Demoiselle (f) Photo©Janice Robertson

Emperor Dragonfly  Anax imperator
Hairy Dragonfly Brachytron pratense

Hairy Dragonfly Photo©Janice Robertson

Dark Bush-cricket  Pholidoptera griseoaptera  (Nymphs)
Hawthorn Shield-bug  Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale
Forest Bug  Pentatoma rufipes
Black & Red Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

Black and red froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) Photo©Janice Robertson

Large Skipper Butterfly  Ochlodes venata
Orange Tip butterfly  Anthocaris cardomines
Small White Butterfly  Pieris rapae
Large White Butterfly  Pieris brassicae
Red Admiral Butterfly  Vanessa atalanta

Red Admiral Photo©Janice Robertson

Meadow Brown Butterfly  Maniola jurtina
Speckled Wood Butterfly  Pararge aegeria
Yellow-barred Long-Horn Moth  Nemophora degeerella
Green Oak Tortrix  Tortrix viridana
Drinker Moth  Euthrix potatoria  (full grown larvae)
Straw Dot Moth  Rivula sericealis
Bloodvein Moth  Timandra comae
Common Carpet Moth  Epirrhoe alternata
Great Pied Hoverfly  Volucella pellucens
A green sawfly  Rhogogaster viridis
European Hornet  Vespa crabro
Red-headed Cardinal Beetle  Pyrochroa serraticornis
Harlequin Ladybird  Harmonia axyridis
7-Spot Ladybird  Coccinella 7-punctata
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis
A Longhorn Beetle  Stenocorus meridianus

Longhorn Beetle (Stenocorus meridianus) Photo©Janice Robertson

Common Scorpionfly  Panorpa communis
Common Green Lacewing  Chrysopa pallens
And many unidentified species of hoverfly, wasp and bee

Trees and Shrubs
Ash Fraxinus excelsior (also many seedlings)
Aspen Populus tremula
Beech Fagus sylvatica
Birch, Silver Betula pendula
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa
Cherry, Wild Prunus avium
Dogwood Cornus sanguinea
Elder, Sambucus nigra
Guelder-rose Viburnum opulus
Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Hazel Corylus avellana
Maple, Field Acer campestre
Oak, Pedunculate Quercus robur
Pine, Scots Pinus sylvestris
Poplar, Lombardy Populus nigra ‘Italica’
Poplar, Hybrid Black P. x canadensis
Privet Ligustrum vulgare
Spindle Euonymus europaeus
Willow, Goat Salix caprea

Flowering Plants
Alkanet, Green Pentaglottis sempervirens
Bindweed, Field Convolvulus arvensis
Bird’s-foot-trefoil, Greater Lotus pedunculatus
Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Bramble Rubus fruticosus
Bryony, Black Tamus communis
Bugle Ajuga reptans
Buttercup, Creeping Ranunculus repens
Celandine, Lesser Ranunculus ficaria
Cleavers Galium aparine
Clover, White Trifolium repens
Comfrey, Common Symphytum officinale
Creeping-Jenny Lysimachia nummularia
Cuckoo Flower Cardamine pratensis
Daisy, common Bellis perennis
Dandelion Taraxacum officinale
Dock, Broad-leaved Rumex obtusifolius
Enchanter’s-nightshade Circaea lutetiana
Figwort, Common Scrophularia nodosa
Garlic Mustard Allaria petiolate
Ground-elder Aegopodium podagraria
Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea
Herb-Robert Geranium robertianum
Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum
Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria
Mercury, Dog’s Mercurialis perennis (recce only)
Nettle, Common Urtica dioica
Orchid, Common Spotted Dactylorhiza fuchsia

Spotted Orchid Photo©Charles Kessler

Plantain, Ribwort Plantago lanceolata
Ragged-Robin Lychnis flos-cuculi
Rose Rosa sp
Speedwell Veronica sp
Stitchwort, Greater Stellaria holostea
St John’s Wort Hypericum sp
Thistle, Marsh Cirsium palustre
Vetch, Bush Vicia sepium
Willowherb, Great Epilobium hirsutum
Archangel, Yellow Lamiastrum galeobdolon (recce only)

Grasses, Sedges and Rushes
Cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata
Dog’s-tail, Crested Cynasurus cristatus
Meadow-grass, Rough-stalked Poa trivialis
Rush, Compact Juncus conglomeratus
Sedge, Glaucous Carex flacca
Sedge, False Fox Carex otrubae
Sedge, Pendulous Carex pendula
Sedge, Remote Carex remota
Sedge, Wood Carex sylvatica
Hair-Grass, Tufted Deschampsia caespitosa

Ferns and Horsetails
Male Fern Dryopteris Felix-Mas

Mosses
Atrichium undulatum

Birds
Blackcap
Buzzard
Chaffinch
Chiff-chaff
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Jay
Kestrel
Kite, Red
Nuthatch
Sparrow hawk
Swift
Tree-creeper (Recce only)
Warbler, Garden
Woodpecker, Great-spotted
Wren

Thanks to
Martin Kincaid for organization, directing the car parking and invertebrate list. Janice Robertson for the invertebrate list and invertebrate photos. Forest Research, Woodland Trust and Gt Horwood Parish websites for information.

Charles Kessler,  June 2025