Kingston Escarpment & Iford Hill

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 50.8406, -0.0152

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East Sussex County SOUTH DOWNS National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Unfavourable Recovering (1) Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
TQ383079 — Unfavourable Recovering 26.51 2019-10-17
TQ398064 — Favourable 36.94 2022-08-04

Habitats

Mixed scrub, Montane scrub

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk

Description

Area, 64.4 ha. 159.1 ac. Description Kingston Escarpment comprises two separate areas of chalk downland on the steep scarp slopes south of Kingston. This site is important for its chalk grassland, a habitat type which is rapidly becoming rarer owing to widespread agricultural improvement and for the rich invertebrate fauna the grassland supports including a rare grasshopper and an uncommon chalk downland butterfly. Chalk grassland in the northern section of the site and on the steep scarp faces is typically rich in species with such characteristic plants as squinancywort Asperula cynanchica, horse shoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor, eyebright Euphrasia officinalis and salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba growing within a short sward dominated by sheep's fescue Festuca ovina and upright brome Bromus erectus grasses. As the site levels out at the top of the scarp and on the valley floor species diversity decreases and plants characteristic of more fertile soils occur, including Italian rye grass Lolium perenne creeping thistle Cirsium arvense and crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus. Other features of the site are a small wooded valley dominated by sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus in the extreme south east and some areas of scrub. Dense blocks of gorse Ulex europaeus are confined to the upper scarp whilst odd bushes of gorse, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, elder Sambucus nigra, dogwood Cornus sanguinea and wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana occur throughout. Kingston Escarpment is noted for its invertebrate fauna which includes the nationally rare and specially protected wart biter grasshopper Decticus verrucivorus and colonies of the Adonis blue Polyommatus bellargus and the small blue Cupido minimus butterflies.

Species mentioned

English name
search for this in other sites		 Latin name
search with Google		 IUCN / Red List Type Family
small blue Cupido minimus NT butterfly lycaenidae
Adonis blue Polyommatus bellargus VU butterfly lycaenidae
upright brome Bromus erectus Not listed in GB list grass poaceae
crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus LC grass poaceae
sheep's fescue Festuca ovina LC grass poaceae
perennial rye-grass Lolium perenne LC grass poaceae
squinancywort Asperula cynanchica VU herb rubiaceae
creeping thistle Cirsium arvense LC herb asteraceae
English sticky eyebright Euphrasia officinalis LC herb orobanchaceae
horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa VU herb fabaceae
salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba VU herb rosaceae
yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor DD herb orobanchaceae
dogwood Cornus sanguinea LC shrub cornaceae
hawthorn Crataegus monogyna LC shrub rosaceae
elder Sambucus nigra LC shrub caprifoliaceae
gorse Ulex europaeus LC shrub leguminosae
wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana LC shrub caprifoliaceae
sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus Not listed in GB list tree aceraceae

Plant communities

W20 — Montane scrub

Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub

Salix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis

W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub

Hedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas

W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub

Hedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas