Rotherley Downs
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST944190 | — | Favourable | 28.41 | 2012-09-28 |
| ST945199 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 68.63 | 2005-06-03 |
| ST950191 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 23.54 | 2009-11-25 |
| ST953200 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 68.63 | 2005-06-03 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Rock Type: Chalk
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| buzzard | Unknown |
| kestrel | Unknown |
Description
Description Rotherley Downs is an area with diverse chalk grassland, scrub and woodland communities and supports several uncommon plants and invertebrates. Species rich chalk downland in Britain is a habitat which has declined by 80 percent since 1940, mainly through agricultural intensification and Wiltshire now contains the majority of that remaining. The site consists of a pair of north south aligned combes Rotherley Bottom and Malacombe Bottom which have been eroded in the Upper and Middle Chalk. Most of the slopes face east or west. The short regularly grazed sward is dominated by sheep's fescue Festuca ovina and meadow oat grass Avenula pratensis. Other common grasses include downy oat grass Helicotrichon pubescens, red fescue F. rubra and crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus. There are several herbs typical of chalk grassland, including salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, squinancywort Asperula cynanchica and fairy flax Linum catharticum. Plants which are indicative of a long period of uninterrupted management without ploughing, fertilisers or herbicides include heath grass Danthonia decumbens, betony Betonica officinalis, saw wort Serratula tinctoria and devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis. Two uncommon species which have distributions centred on the Wiltshire chalk are dwarf sedge Carex humilis and the endemic early gentian Gentianella anglica. Carex humilis grassland is one of the most species rich grassland types in Britain and can have over 40 plant species per square metre in many places. The succession of grassland, through scrub to pioneer woodland is clearly demonstrated in Malacombe. Scattered scrub of hawthorn, elder and bramble has cobined to form denser thickets which in turn develop into secondary woodland of ash, whitebeam, sycamore, hawthorn and hazel. An immature woodland ground flora has also developed with dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum and ground ivy Glechoma hederacea. Rotherley Wood is an area of ancient semi natural woodland. It supports dry ash maple woodland, an unusual stand type characterised by ash, field maple and oak standards over hazel and field maple coppice. The flora includes abundant bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and dog's mercury, together with the climber traveller's joy Clematis vitalba. Dry ash maple woodland is now very localised in great Britain, having undergone a considerable reduction in area over the past century. Butterflies which occur on Rotherley Down include typical chalk grassland species such as chalkhill blue and the nationally scarce Adonis blue, both of which have larvae which feed on horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa. Brown argus, a species with larvae which feed on rock rose Helianthemum nummularium and high brown fritillary which feeds on hairy violet Viola hirta have also been recorded. Mounds made by the yellow ant Lasius flavus are a conspicuous feature of the site. Common mammals include rabbit, roe and fallow deer, whilst the bird fauna includes buzzard, kestrel and yellowhammer.
Species mentioned
Show the 25 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