Daw Lane Plantation, Bentley (SE5607; SE5707)
Doncaster Naturalists’ Society Survey 25th May, 1994

The Answer Lies in the Soil
Notes on the geology, drainage, history and plant distribution.

Soil & Geology
This deciduous (oak/ash dominated) woodland is situated on damp silts and clays overlying Sherwood Sandstone.

The soil structure is revealed at the site on the new foot-bridge over the east/west dyke near the Victoria Road entrance.

A small region dominated by bracken and featuring patches of Foxgloves – in the central part of area ‘A’ and the western part of area ‘S’ – may possibly indicate the presence of a relatively dryer, sandier zone.

Drains

A simple ‘V’ shaped deep ditch runs south-west to north-east, (B1 to B2) and joins the Dam Hill Drain on the western boundary of the site. Two short drains enter this main drain from the south; these are (B3) which forms the western boundary of the old Hawthorn ‘Plantation’ and (B4) which runs through the southern part of the wood from the rear of the Nursing Home.

The Drains system (often overgrown with bramble, woody nightshade, etc.) seems to have been dry during the late 1980’s but became wet last year for the first time for many years (pers. Comm. Graham Wass), and on the occasion of our last visit (on 25^th May, 1994), water was present throughout the system, reaching a depth of at least 3ft at the western foot bridge.

Damp Woodland

The scarcity and restricted range of aquatic plants is probably due to the effects of the drought years of the 1970’s and 80’s though the survival of Guelder Rose, Common Figwort, Soft Rush, Great Willowherb, Woody Nightshade, Fool’s Water-cress, and Common Starwort indicate the latent wet character of the site.

Historic Changes

The 1930 edition of the 1:2500 scale Ordnance Survey map shows an area of shrub plantation to the north of the houses of ‘Daw Wood’. This has now developed into a remarkable area of ‘even-age’ Hawthorns of considerable girths. A post 1930’s northerly extension of Arthur Street leading down to the Colliery Yard effectively curs in two the Hawthorne Plantation (areas E & F) and cuts through the north-eastern section of the Oak.

/Ash dominated Daw Lane Plantation (areas D & G).

Antiquity

Although Daw Lane Plantation isn’t shown on Thomas Jeffrey’s Map of 1771-2, neither is it listed in the Nature Conservancy’s inventory of Ancient Woodlands in South Yorkshire, its botanical composition strongly suggests that woodland has been present on this site (excluding the Hawthorne Plantation (areas E & F) for much longer than the age of the present population.

Tree Girths

In order to gain some impression as to the age structure of the present canopy-forming tree stock, Derek Allen measured the giths (at chest height) of a sample of 37 mature trees.

On the basis that on average, trees put on about 1” of girth per year in good growing conditions (without competition for light and root-space), and about ½” of girth under conditions of woodland competition, a rough estimate of age ranges can be deduced.

Species	Girth in inches – measured at chest height (4-5ft)	Total
Common Oak	42;44;47;48;48;49;50;5;51;52;54;60;60;66;73;73;73;75;75;75;	21
Common Ash	58;59;60;65;90;92;108;	7
Sycamore	54	1
Hawthorn (in areas E & F)	41;50;51;53;56;57;58;59;	8

Flowering Plants

Recording area :-
O = Hedgerows and path (Daw Lane) leading from Victoria Road to wood (SE568070)
A = Ash/Oak high canopy woodland to the south of the main drain (SE568070)
B = Main Drain (recently re-excavated) by the western foot-bridge (SE568070)
C = Ash/Oak high canopy woodland to the north of the main drain (SE568071)
D = Ash/Oak high canopy woodland to the north of the main drain (SE569071)
E = Hawthorn dominated plantation west of Arthur Street (SE570071)
F = Hawthorn dominated plantation east of Arthur Street (SE570071)
G = Ash/Oak high canopy woodland to the east of Arthur Street (SE570071)

*= species present
#= garden escape

Botanical Name	Vernacular Name	O	A	B	C	D	EF	G
Acer pseudoplatanus	Sycamore		*		*	*
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow						*
Aegopodium podagraria	Ground Elder						*
Agrostis stolonifera	Creeping Bent-grass		*
Alopecurus pratensis	Meadow Foxtail-grass	*
Alopecurus geniculatus	Marsh Foxtail-grass			*
Angelica sylvestris	Angelica			*	*	*		*
Anisantha sterilis	Barren Brome	*					*
Anthryscus sylvestris	Cow Parsley	*	*		*	*	*	*
Apium nodiflorum	Fool’s Water-cress			*
Aquilegia vulgaris	Columbine (cultivated)						#
Arctium lappa	Great Burdock			*	*	*	*	*
Arum maculatum	Wild Arum					*
Artemisia vulgaris	Mugwort	*					*	*
Bellis perennis	Daisy				*	*	*	*
Brachypodium sylvaticum	False Brome		*	*	*	*		*
Bromus ramosus	Hairy Brome-grass		*	*
Callitriche stagnalis	Water Starwort			*
Calystegia sepium	Great Bindweed						*
Circaea lutitana	Enchanter’s Nightshade		*		*	*		*
Cirsium arvense	Spear Thistle			*			*
Cirsium vulgare	Creeping Thistle	*					*	*
Chamerion angustifolium	Rosebay	*	*		*	*	*	*
Corylus avellana	Hazel		*
Crataegus monogyna	Hawthorn	*	*	*	*	*	*
Dactylis glomerata	Cock’s-foot Grass			*			*
Digitalis purpureum	Foxglove		*		*
Dryopteris austriaca	Buckler Fern	*		*	*
Dryopteris felix-mas	Male Fern		*		*	*
Elymus repens	Creeping Couch-grass		*
Endymion non-scriptus	Bluebell		*	*	*	*		*
Epilobium hirsutum	Great Willowherb	*		*				*
Epilobium montanum	Broad-leaved Willowherb		*
Equisetum arvense	Field Horsetail	*					*
Festuca gigantea	Giant Fescue		*		*	*
Fraxinus excelsior	Ash	*	*		*	*		*
Glechoma hederacea	Ground Ivy		*		*	*	*	*
Galium aparine	Cleavers	*	*		*	*	*	*
Geranium robertianum	Herb Robert		*
Geum urbanum	Herb Bennet		*		*	*		*
Hedera helix	Ivy		*
Heiracleum sphondilium	Hogweed		*	*	*	*	*	*
Holcus lanatus	Yorkshire Fog	*				*	*	*
Ilex aquifolium	Holly		*			*
Juncus effusus	Soft Rush			*
Lamium album	White Dead-nettle	*					*	*
Lamium maculatum	Banded Dead-nettle						*
Melandrium rubrum	Red Campion	*		*	*	*	*
Mercurialis perennis	Dog’s Mercury	*		*	*		*
Milum effusum	Wood Millet							*
Moehringia trinerva	Three-nerved Sandwort		*		*	*		*
Plantago lanceolata	Ribwort Plantain	*					*	*
Plantago major	Rat-tail Plantain	*		*	*		*	*
Poa annua	Annual Meadow-grass		*	*	*		*	*
Poa trivialis	Rough Meadow-grass			*		*		*
Potentilla anserina	Silverweed						*	*
Potentilla reptans	Creeping Cinquefoil	*
Prunus Avium	Wild Cherry		*		*	*
Prunus spinosus	Blackthorn		*				*
Pteridium aquilinum	Bracken	*		*	*		*
Quercus petraea	Sessile Oak		*		*	*
Quercus robur	Common Oak		*		*	*		*
Ranunculus acris	Meadow Buttercup			*
Ranunculus ficaria	Lesser Celandine		*		*	*		*
Ranunculus repens	Creeping Buttercup	*		*	*	*	*	*
Rubus fruticosus	Bramble	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Rubus idaeus	Raspberry				*	*
Rosa arvensis	Field Rose		*			*	*
Rosa canina	Dog Rose			*	*		*
Rumex crispus	Curled Dock	*					*	*
Rumex obtusifolius	Broad Dock	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Sambucus nigra	Elder	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Salix caprea	Goat Willow				*	*	*
Salix cinerea	Grey Willow					*	*
Senecio squalidus	Oxford Ragwort						*
Scrophularia nodosa	Common Figwort				*
Solanum dulcamara	Bittersweet	*
Sonchus asper	Prickly Sow-thistle						*
Sonchus oleraceus	Smooth Sow-thistle						*
Stachys sylvatica	Hedge Woundwort				*	*	*	*
Tamus communis	Black Bryony					*
Taraxacum officinalis	Dandelion	*	*	*	*	*	*
Trifolium repens	White Clover						*	*
Tolmea menziesii	Pick-a-back Plant						#
Ulmus glaba	Wych Elm	*		*	*
Urtica dioica	Stinging Nettle	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Viburnum opulus	Guelder Rose					*

 

Fungi
Polyporus squamosus	Dryad’s Saddle on Sycamore trunk
Plant Galls
Biorhiza pallida	‘Oak Apple’ gall on Common Oak
Cynips divisa	‘Red Pea’ gall on Common Oak
Eriophyes macrorhynchs	‘Nail Gall’ on Sycamore leaves
Neuroterus tumefaciens	‘Current’ gall on Common Oak catkins
Birds
Green Woodpecker (singing)	Wood Pigeon (nesting)
Turtle Dove (calling)	Swift (overhead)
Cuckoo (calling)	Starling (gathering food)
Blue Tit (singing)	Blackbird (singing)
Song Thrush (singing)	Mistle Thrush
Robin (singing)	Dunnock (singing)
Wren (calling)	Blackcap (singing)
Chiff Chaff (singing)	Willow Warbler (singing)
Chaffinch (singing)	Greenfinch (singing)
Mammals, Reptiles & Amphibians
None seen & no signs, not even foot-prints or mole hills were found during visit.

Graham Wass noted that hedgehogs occasionally visit the gardens of adjacent houses, that toads had been found locally, frogs visit and spawn in a pond along Daw Wood, and that 5-6 years ago, a 3ft grass snake had been found in a local garden. Stoat, Weasel and Mole have visited his garden at the end of Arthur Street.

Recorders
Derek Allen; Don & Dorothy Bramley; Colin Howes; Graham Wass.

Compiled by C. A. Howes