Hayley Wood is a mostly ancient woodland of oak, ash and maple. The wood is home to good numbers of breeding birds, and on summer the rides and glades are filled with wild flowers and insects, including butterflies such as the Speckled Wood. In spring, the woodland floor is full of bluebells and oxlips for which the wood is famous. In spring you can hear Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming, while in May or Jun, Nightingales singing.