Parsonage Down
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SU047412 | — | Favourable | 132.46 | 2012-06-25 |
| SU059414 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 40.01 | 2012-06-25 |
| SU061411 | — | Favourable | 14.9 | 2012-06-25 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Chalk
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| lapwing | Breeding |
Description
Description Parsonage Down is one of the most outstanding chalk downland sites in Britain. Situated on the Upper Chalk of the southern edge of Salisbury Plain, the site is of particular interest as an extensive area of flat and gently sloping land, much of which has escaped ploughing and other agricultural improvement during the last 100 years. For at least 60 years the site has been grazed extensively by hardy breeds of cattle and sheep at a carefully regulated stocking rate; this continuity has been important in maintaining plant and animal diversity. Further evidence, both archaeological and documentary, has contributed to a detailed knowledge of land use history which is an important facet of the interest of Parsonage Down. The botanically rich grassland which covers most of the site is broadly referable to the sheep’s fescue meadow oat grass Festuca ovina Avenula pratensis type. However red fescue Festuca rubra and downy oat grass Avenula pubescens also occur in areas of herb rich turf. This unusual feature may be related to local soils and topography. A remarkable variety of vascular plants occur within the sward; it is common to record over 30 species in a square metre. Of the 28 grasses and sedges occurring on the site, dwarf sedge Carex humilis and glaucous sedge Carex flacca, heath grass Danthonia decumbens, yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens and crested hair grass Koeleria macrantha are widespread. Herbs which typify the south west Wiltshire chalk are common on the site and include saw wort Serratula tinctoria, devil’s bit scabious Succisa pratensis, betony Betonica officinalis, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor and dropwort Filipendula vulgaris. Many plants which exist at Parsonage Down have a restricted distribution in Britain. Amongst these are early gentian Gentianella anglica, bastard toadflax Thesium humifusum, chalk milkwort Polygala calcarea, dodder Cuscuta epithymum and field fleawort Senecio integrifolius. Orchids are well represented and include burnt and green winged orchids Neotinea ustulata and O. morio and frog orchid Dactylorhiza viridis. Periodically, from prehistoric times to the last war, parts of the down have been used for crop production. An area ploughed and resown during the last war has since been left unimproved and now holds small quantities of typical downland plants such as salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba and clustered bellflower Campanula glomerata. Adjacent to high quality downland, this area is of value for the study of recolonisation of chalk grassland. The regularity of grazing has restricted scrub development on the down. However gorse Ulex europaeus and hawthorn Crataegus monogyna occur locally as clumps with bramble Rubus fruticosus agg and dog rose Rosa canina. To the west of the site are more extensive areas of scrub. Limited invertebrate study has so far revealed several interesting species. The rare spiders Xysticus cristatus and Ozyptila simplex were noted in 1980, whilst several notable true flies diptera including Leptarthrus brevirostris and Meonura minutissima were recorded in 1982. The well grazed sward supports typical downland butterflies such as marbled white Melanargia galatheaa and brown argus Aricia agestis. Birds which rely on the downland for breeding include lapwing, grey and red legged partridge, whilst areas of scrub support yellowhammer and turtle dove.
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