| species | type | prefered site | unsuitable sites | conservation value | insects supported | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackthorn/sloe Prunus spinosa |
E/S | Tolerates a wide range of soils. Can grow in exposed and windswept coastal conditions. | Dislikes very wet conditions. Prefers open sunny conditions. | Early flowering, very good for insects. Good nesting cover. Berries excellent for birds. | 109 | Dense and thorny, makes an ideal barrier against stock/people. Spreads by suckers. Good for a hedge. |
| Broom Cytisus scoparius |
E | Grows best on light, dry, acid, soils. | Dislikes wet conditions. | Good for insects. Food-plant of the green hairstreak butterfly. | Suitale for dry sunny banks. | |
| Buckthorn, Purging Rhammus catharticus |
Largely confined to calcareous soils. | Not tolerant of heavy shade under trees or of very dry sites. | Food-plant of the Brimstone butterfly. | 27 | An uncommon shrub, often growing at lakesides on limestone soils. | |
| Buckthorn, Alder Frangula alnus |
S | A shrub of wet, though not water-logged, sites. Grows on peaty soils. | A very long flowering season. A along fruiting season from July to Nov. Food-plant of Brimstone butterfly. |
Subject to special legislative protection. a license needed to collect berries/rear plants. Once common, coppiced and the wood used for firewood. | ||
| Dog-rose Rosa canina |
Tolerates a wide range of soils but prefers calcareous to neutral soils. Can tolerates poor fertility | Dislikes wet soils or exposed sites. | Good for insects. Hips good for small birds and small mammals. | c.100 | Famous for its rose-hips Found in long-established hedges and thickets. |
|
| Elder Sambucus nigra |
E/S | Prefers nutrient rich soils hardy. Useful for extremely chalky sites. | Good for insects and birds. An important berry crop. | 19 | A common shrub around the countryside. Associated with old refuse tips and middens where it appreciates the extra nutrients in the soil. | |
| Gorse/Whin Ulex europaeus |
E | Prefers dry and neutral soils. | Dislikes poorly drained heavy clay soils. Does not like shallow chalky soils. | Good for insects. Provides excellent nesting cover. Food-plant of the green hairstreak butterfly. |
Can grow in exposed sites. Withstands salty winds. Provides shelter in coastal areas. | |
| Guilder rose Viburnum opulus |
E/S | Grows best on alkaline fertile clay soils also likes neutral wet soils. | Not suited to acid soils. | Good for insects, fruit good for birds. | 17 | Usually found in hedges or at the edge of fields and small woods beside a drain, also on inland loughs. |
| Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna |
E/F | Tolerates a wide range of soils. Among hardiest and most adaptable trees, growing well in industrial areas/exposed sites. | Does not thrive in wet sites or very acid soils. | Excellent for wildlife. Early flowering good for insects. Fruits good for insects and birds. Good cover for nesting and roosting birds. |
149 | The commonest and best hedgerow cutting and hedge-laying. |
| Juniper Juniperus communis |
L | Grows in rocky areas. Also on mountain heaths. Very tolerant of exposure. | Berries eaten by winter thrushes. | 20 | One of only 3 native conifers. | |
| Spindle Euonymus europaeus |
E/S | Prefers alkaline soils but tolerates a wide range of non-acid soils. Good on chalk but grows almost anywhere. |
Good for insects. | Shares its most common areas of distribution with the guelder rose. Its wood used to be used for making spindles for spinning wheels. |
KEY
f = minor forest tree
E = edge plants suitable for open woods, woodland edges or hedges
L = loners suitable for spot planting
S = plants for shrub layer under high forest trees