Ebsbury Down
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SU046348 | — | Favourable | 6.6 | 2010-07-05 |
| SU049349 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 7.67 | 2009-11-26 |
| SU056354 | — | Favourable | 34.4 | 2010-07-05 |
| SU064357 | — | Favourable | 4.49 | 2009-11-10 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Chalk
Description
Area, 53.4 ha. 132.0 ac. Description Ebsbury Down is an extensive area of extremely diverse chalk grassland containing several nationally restricted plant species. Lying alongside the northern edge of Grovely Wood, the site consists of a long mainly north facing scarp of Upper Chalk that has a variety of slopes and aspects. The majority of the grassland is well grazed and dominated by species typical of short chalk swards. sheep's fescue Festuca ovina, meadow oat grass Avenula pratensis and glaucous sedge Carex flacca are widespread, while quaking grass Briza media, heath grass Danthonia decumbens and spring sedge Carex caryophyllea are also frequent. The community is particularly herb rich with an abundance of chalk milkwort Polygala calcarea, cowslip Primula veris, commonrock rose Helianthemum nummularium and devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis. Herbs which occur frequently include horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa, kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria and hairy violet Viola hirta. Nationally restricted species present include dwarf sedge Carex humilis, bastard toadflax Thesium humifusum, field fleawort Senecio integrifolius and burnt orchid Neotinea ustulata. Several additional orchids have been recorded, including fragrant orchid Gymnadenia conopsea, frog orchid Dactylorhiza viridis and green winged orchid Anacamptis morio. Annual and biennial species are a component of the turf and include common whitlow grass Erophila verna, carline thistle Carlina vulgaris and the nationally restricted early gentian Gentianella anglica, a species occurring only in the British Isles. Flatter areas support plants typical of more nutrient rich soils. Here red fescue Festuca rubra replaces sheep's fescue as the most abundant grass, with downy oat grass Avenula pubescens and sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum also being frequent. Common bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga and lady's bedstraw Galium verum are frequent herbs. meadow saxifrage Saxifraga granulataa, an uncommon species which on chalk prefers moist north facing slopes, is also present in this community. A lightly grazed area of taller vegetation, dominated by upright brome Bromus erectus, contains species such as wild basil Clinopodium vulgare and common valerian Valeriana officinalis. Scrub composed of hawthorn, wild privet, wayfaring tree and buckthorn occurs, while whitebeam and silver birch are present as trees. Surrounded mostly by woodland, the grassland contains several woodland plants, including dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis and bugle Ajuga reptans. The mosaic of tall grassland, scrub and woodland edge provides ideal conditions for diverse invertebrate communities. Anthills are a prominent feature of the site and have in places reached a considerable size. These are the nest mounds of the yellow meadow ant Lasius flavus and support typical ant hill plants, such as common rock rose and wild thyme Thymus praecox, along with the small annuals early forget-me-not Myosotis ramosissima and thyme leaved sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia. Butterflies occurring on this site include grizzled and dingy skippers. The invertebrates have received little recent study but old records indicate that Ebsbury Down may be important for several groups, particularly as it lies adjacent to the entomologically important Grovely Wood.
Species mentioned
Show the 38 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