Coates Castle

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 50.9490, -0.5910

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West Sussex County SOUTH DOWNS National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Unfavourable Recovering (2) Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
SU989171 — Unfavourable Recovering 0.84 2010-03-31
SU989176 — Favourable 4.77 2008-08-28
SU993166 — Unfavourable Recovering 2.11 2008-08-28

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Mixed scrub, Montane scrub

Description

Description Coates Castle SSSI consists of three blocks of land all within a one kilometre radius which contains the entire known remaining British population of the field cricket Gryllus campestris, an insect protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The field cricket has never been widespread and was always restricted to the southern half of the British Isles but gradual loss of suitable habitat through natural and human influences have drastically reduced the national population to an estimated size of less than 200 individuals. Field crickets have been found in the recent past at nearby sites, including part of the Arundel Park SSSI, but survey information suggests that it is now extinct from these sites. Probably the main threat to this nationally rare and endangered+ insect is a loss of the conditions suitable for continuation of its annual life cycle; in particular the requirement for a warm, dry microclimate. The microclimate is strongly influenced by both general climatic factors and local effects such as shading from bracken or trees. The first, northernmost, block of land forms part of the environs of Coates Castle, originally landscaped as a radiating set of 'lawns' to provide vistas from the property. Freely draining very acid sandy soils have favoured the development of an acidic grassland with wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa and red fescue Festuca rubra forming a short, patchy sward. This short sward is the habitat used by the field cricket and requires regular mowing to prevent bracken Pteridium aquilinum and scrub encroachment from the surrounding woodland. There are extensive areas of heather Calluna vulgaris in parts of the site. Patches of bracken and seedling trees, such as silver birch Betula pendula and Scot's pine Pinus sylvestris indicate the woodland habitat that would develop if regular vegetation cutting were not continued. The second block of land consists of an area of developing conifer plantation woodland with a track running roughly east to west. The soil is similarly free draining with a patchy cover of red fescue. Here too, regular cutting is required to maintain a patchy sward. The third, southernmost, block of land is an area recently converted to grassland from woodland. The land slopes down towards the western boundary and there are differences in vegetation types between the northern and southern ends. The southern end and side of the slope is covered by an almost continuous sward of common bent grass Agrostis capillaris with few herbs and some bracken encroachment. The northern section is patchily vegetated by grasses such as common bent grass, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus and early hair grass Aira praecox with herbs such as sheep sorrel Rumex acetosella and buck’s horn plantain Plantago coronopus, areas of stony disturbed soil favour invasion by bracken and birch seedlings. Note + 'endangered' is the category of threat under which field cricket is noted in the British Red Data Book for Insects Vol 2, ed. D B Shirt, I C C 1987

Species mentioned

English name
search for this in other sites		 Latin name
search with Google		 IUCN / Red List Type Family
field cricket Gryllus campestris VU bush cricket gryllidae
bracken Pteridium aquilinum LC fern dennstaedtiaceae
common bent Agrostis capillaris LC grass poaceae
early hair grass Aira praecox VU grass poaceae
wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa Not listed in GB list grass poaceae
red fescue Festuca rubra LC grass poaceae
Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus LC grass poaceae
buck's-horn plantain Plantago coronopus LC herb plantaginaceae
sheep's sorrel Rumex acetosella NT herb polygonaceae
bell heather or ling Calluna vulgaris NT shrub dwarf ericaceae
birch Betula pendula LC tree betulaceae
Scot's pine Pinus sylvestris LC tree pinaceae

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

W25 — Bracken scrub

Pteridium aquilinum-Rubus fruticosus underscrub

Hedera helix, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Sambucus nigra, Ulex europaeus, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Luzula multiflora, Mnium hornum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Angelica sylvestris, Conopodium majus, Heracleum sphondylium, Arum maculatum, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Silene dioica, Stellaria holostea, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Glechoma hederacea, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Chamerion angustifolium, Circaea lutetiana, Digitalis purpurea, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ficaria verna, Potentilla erecta, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Galium mollugo sens.lat., Galium saxatile, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas