Grass Wood, Wharfedale cleared through selective felling, many areas of the woodland have the appearance of an early successional stage of advance natural regeneration through mainly saplings of ash, birch and sycamore, this enclosed within a variable canopy of ash, sycamore, beech, oak, and with some birch. Shrubs and small trees in the understorey include bird cherry "Prunus padus", hazel, spindle "Euonymus europaeus", buckthorn "Rhamnus cathartica", wild privet "Ligustrum vulgare", blackthorn "Prunus spinosa" and guelder-rose "Viburnum opulus". The underlying geology ensures that most of the site is well drained, favouring lime-loving plants – the calcicoles. There are, however, localised areas with poorer drainage
Prunus rivularis Prunus rivularis Prunus rivularis, known variously by the common names creek plum, hog plum, or wild-goose plum is a thicket forming shrub. It prefers calcareous clay soil or limestone-based woodland soils. This deciduous plant belongs to the rose family, Rosaceae, and is found mainly in the central United States. It is a shrub consisting of slender stems with umbel clusters of white blossoms. The fruit is a drupe that resembles a large berry; though it has a bitter taste, it serves as a source of food for birds and other wildlife. ""Prunus"" is Latin for plum, whereas ""rivularis"" means being