The woodland vole is a small mouse-like rodent (4.3 to 5.5 inches) with short, dense, reddish-brown fur, small eyes and ears (0.4-0.5 in), and a short tail (0.7-0.9 in) barely longer than the hindfoot. The eyes are small; the ears short and nearly hidden by the fur surrounding them. Woodland voles are herbivores although they occasionally eat insects and carrion. They eat a variety of herbaceous plants, but prefer grasses and sedges. The stems and underground structures (roots, rhizomes, stolons, tubers, bulbs, corms) more than green foliage form much of the summer diet, which this vole obtains by tunneling. Seeds, nuts, and fruits are major components of the autumn diet.

The woodland vole occurs in deciduous woodlands with loose sandy soils, deep humus, and heavy leaf litter. Although it prefers deciduous forests comprised of oak, maple and/or beech, the woodland vole can potentially be found in any forest type. It can also be found in orchards. The woodland vole has a very small home range, generally moving no more than 50-100 feet from the nest. To construct the burrows, the vole first loosens the soil by using its head, incisor teeth, and forefeet. It then turns around and, again using its head, pushes the resulting debris out of the tunnel and into piles under the leaf litter. Females produce 1-4 litters per year with 1-6 pups per litter.