About the reserve

This reserve is made up of seven fields, with a fairly rich flora and an important invertebrate community.

The drier areas of grassland in the reserve have neutral soils, typified by plants such as Common Knapweed, Common Spotted-orchid, Yarrow and Betony.

In the south of the reserve the flatter fields are managed as hay meadows. Yellow Rattle can be found in these fields. This species, with its distinctive seeds pods that ‘rattle’ when dry, is a hemi-parasitic plant that takes nutrients from the roots of the grasses that it grows amongst.

Several springs emerge on the slopes and have created a series of wet flushes, typically bordered by gorse. In these wetter areas plants such as Ragged Robin, Lousewort, Greater Bird’s-foot-trefoil and Bog Pimpernel can be found.

Skylarks breed in the meadows during the summer. You will hear their distinctive, warbling song as they fly above the grassland.

The small area of wet carr woodland on the northern boundary contains a population of Broad-leaved Helleborine orchids.

Reserve conservation management - The reserve is managed primarily by grazing with cattle during summer, which keeps the vegetation low to allow flowering plants to flourish. Livestock are excluded from the hay meadows until the hay is cut in late summer. Encroaching scrub is being cleared to restore the grassland, although some smaller patches of scrub are retained to provide cover for insects and birds. Boundary hedges are being restored by laying and gapping-up.