[1][2] The site is in five separate blocks, and two areas are nature reserves managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT).

[5] The Ulverscroft Valley was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The drier habitats are dominated by sweet vernal grass, crested dog's-tail and fescues; the fragrant orchid and flea sedge, both rarities in the county, grow here.

[6] The acidic marshy grassland is covered by a mixture of purple moor-grass, tufted hair-grass, rushes and sedges, with patches of heather and bilberry and spikes of meadow thistle.

Breeding birds in the woodland include woodcock and snipe, and occasionally western yellow wagtail and common redstart.