St. Catherine's Hill
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SU484274 | — | Favourable | 36.32 | 2014-09-30 |
| SU489275 | — | Destroyed | 1.95 | 2011-07-21 |
| SU491275 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 4.76 | 2014-09-30 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Chalk
Description
Area, 41.5 hectares 102.5 ac Description The Site of Special Scientific Interest comprises chalk grassland scrub occupying the spur of St. Catherine's Hill and an adjoining dry valley. The varied topography, soil depth and aspect gives rise to distinct differences in the plant communities. The thin rendzina soils of the slopes and summit of the Iron Age hill fort are carpeted in a closely cropped sheep's fescue Festuca ovina dominated sward with a rich herb flora including abundant thyme Thymus praecox, common rock rose Helianthemum nummularium and salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, carline thistle Carlina vulgaris, felwort Gentianella amarella, horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa, kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, fairy flax Linum catharticum, clustered bellflower Campanula glomerata, autumn lady's tresses Spiranthes spiralis and frog orchid Dactylorhiza viridis. This short sward contrasts with the well developed field layer occupying the north facing slope of the adjoining dry valley. Here upright brome Bromus erectus and meadow fescue Schedonorus pratensis are abundant, with a variety of tall herbs, including wild carrot Daucus carota, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor, perforate St. John's wort Hypericum perforatum, basil Clinopodium vulgare and betony Betonica officinalis. Several plants normally associated with wetter grassland, notably devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis, hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum, saw wort Serratula tinctoria and fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica all occur commonly in the sward. Further diversity is provided by the eastern extremity of the SSSI, which comprises a species rich short sward chalk turf on a series of ancient bank and ditch earthworks. Of particular note are the large number of locally distributed species present, including a substantial proportion of bastard toadflax Thesium humifusum and isolated juniper bushes. The site as a whole contains practically the full range of downland orchids, though many are in small numbers. Extensive blocks of hawthorn Crataegus monogyna with privet Ligustrum vulgare, blackthorn Prunus spinosa, rose Rosa species and dogwood Cornus sanguinea occupy the north facing slopes of the valley and hill fort, with isolated shrubs scattered elsewhere. The presence of young sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus, Norway maple Acer platanoides, birch Betula pendula, oak Quercus robur and whitebeam Sorbus aria provides an early indication of an eventual succession to woodland. Further scrub invasion is kept in check by physical removal and regular cattle grazing. A small mature beech Fagus sylvatica hanger occupies part of the summit of the hill fort. The grassland supports colonies of the locally distributed chalkhill blue butterfly Polyommatus coridon particularly at the eastern end of the site and the more sheltered parts of the site are generally very rich in invertebrates.
Species mentioned
Show the 35 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusPlant communities
W20 — Montane scrub
Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub
Show 107 indicator speciesSalix 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
Show 81 indicator speciesHedera 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
Show 49 indicator speciesHedera 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