These aesthetically pleasing sessile oak woods tend to occur in less oceanic locations with lower levels of humidity. Many of the woods are single-aged as a result of clear-felling for timber during the last century and they are typically sheep-grazed with low levels of regeneration. The spring groundflora is often dominated by bluebells (Hyacynthoides non-scriptus) and very pleasing on the eye. This is often overgrown by bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) as the bluebells die back. The bryophyte and lichen interest in these woods tends to be lower than in more oceanic examples of the habitat, but there can be a dense population of woodland birds, with the bracken providing cover for the ground nesting Wood Warblers (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) and tree pipits (Anthus trivialis). These young woods are also favoured birdwatchers and tend to be populated by large numbers of nest boxes, primarily to attract Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and Redstarts (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) that will struggle to find ‘natural’ nest sites in young trees.
