This unimproved meadow is species rich and it has surviving ridge and furrow, suggesting a long history of traditional management without modern herbicides or fertilisers. Twenty-four species of grass and a hundred and thirteen herbs have been recorded. There is a wet ditch which has water whorl grass.[7]
This site has heath, acid grassland and mixed scrub on the sands and clays of the Bagshot Beds, together with areas of gravel, on higher ground. London Clay outcrops on the lower slopes, and it has woodland with rich ground flora. There are many deep valleys with unpolluted spring-fed streams. The insect fauna is also very rich.[10]
This linear site is named after the stream called Chawridge Bourne, which runs through it. Half of it is unimproved grassland, which is managed by sheep grazing. There are also areas of scrub and broadleaved woodland. On the east side there is an ancient parish boundary hedge which has diverse tree flora.[14]
This heathland site also has areas of bog. It is one of the best sites in the county for dragonflies and damselflies; the twenty-three species which breed in its shallow pools include keeled skimmer and four-spotted chaser dragonflies and white-legged, emerald and small red damselflies.[15]
In the 1980s Greenham Common was a military base storing nuclear weapons and the location of the Women's Peace Camp, but following the closure of the base it was opened to the public as a nature reserve in 2000.[17] The two commons have the largest area of heathland and acid grassland in the county and other habitats are gorse scrub, broad leaved woodland and water-logged alder valleys. There is a rich variety of invertebrates, such as the white admiral, purple emperor and silver-washed fritillary woodland butterflies.[19]
This chalk pit, which was dug more than 150 years ago, is warm and sheltered and it has 15 species of butterfly, including common blues and gatekeepers. There are varied habitats, with woodland, scrub, grassland and hedges.[24]
This is a surviving fragment of the former Inkpen Great Common. It is mainly damp heathland, with small areas of marsh, woods and bracken. Flora on the heath include purple moor grass, common gorse, lousewort, lesser dodder and the only surviving colony in Berkshire of pale heath violet.[27]
In 1912, Charles Rothschild founded 'The Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves', the forerunner of The Wildlife Trusts, and Inkpen Crocus Field is one of the 284 'Rochschild Reserves', a list drawn up by the Society in its first three years of sites "worthy of preservation".[30] The spring crocus is a rare Red Data Book plant which is not native to Britain but has been recorded on this site since 1800.[31] More than 400,000 flowers bloom in the spring.[28]
The ponds in this site have a population of great crested newts, which are a legally protected species. Their status protected the site from development as part of a housing estate in the 1990s. The site also has dense blackthorn scrub, reedbeds, woodland and grassland. Birds include chiffchaffs and song thrushes.[32]
This reserve in the valley of the River Pang has wildflower meadows surrounded by wet woodland. In the autumn the woods have a range of fungi, such as deadman's fingers and green elfcup mushrooms. Mammals include foxes and badgers.[34]
This site has a variety of habitats including a lake, woodland, reedbeds and hedges. The lake has many wintering wildfowl such as shovelers and pochrds. Invertebrates include the bloody-nosed and rhinoceros beetles.[36]
This site is mainly heath, but there are also areas of grassland, wet gullies, ponds and oak and pine woodland. There is a variety of heathland birds such as Dartford warbler, tree pipit, European stonechat, woodlark and the rare nightjar. The pond has many dragonflies and damselflies.[37]
This site was left to the trust by Len and Marie Goodwin. It has woodland, a wildflower meadow and an area of heathland. The meadow has flowers such as common bird's-foot-trefoils, buttercups and cuckooflowers in the summer, while the woodland has old oak trees and rotting timber which provide habitats for insects.[48]
This is a country park which has diverse habitats, including dry heath, wet heath, bog, birch woods and ancient semi-natural broadleaved woodland. The bog has a 5,000 year old layer of peat which has been studied stratigraphically to show changes in ancient land use and vegetation. An area of wet alder woodland has many lichens, including a rich community which grows on trees, such as Parmelia caperarta, Pertusaria pertusa and Lecanactis abietina.[51]
The common is heath and woodland with two ponds, Dragonfly Pond and Pullen's Pond, which provide a habitat for a variety of dragonflies and damselflies. Other invertebrates include common blue, brimstone and comma butterflies. The main heathland plants are bell heather, common gorse and broom.[64]
This grassland site has steeply sloping old pits and spoil heaps, with a rich assembly of shrubs, herbs and invertebrates, including twenty-seven butterfly species. There is some mature woodland with beech, yew, ash and whitebeam, together with a hedge and areas of scrub.[66] There are eight orchid species.[65]
The site is chalk grassland, scrub and woodland. It has pyramidal and bee orchids, wild thyme and chalkhill blue butterflies. The woodland on the slopes is mainly whitebeam and ash, with oak and birch on the plateau. Juniper shrubs provide a habitat for rare insects such as the juniper shield bug.[68]
Most of the site is a deep lake, created by the extraction of clay for the brick industry. It is now used in winter by wildfowl such as mallard, tufted duck and pochard. There are two bird hides, and the trust has created three floating islands to enable waterfowl to breed safe from foxes. The lakeside has a variety of wild flowers and butterflies.[73]
The site has more than a thousand species of wildlife on the lake, marshland and grassland. Rare species include redshanks and Lapwings. The marshes are an important habitat for breeding waders, and chalk grassland has a range of insects and small mammals.[74] One small area is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.[75][76]
There are woodland plantations, unimproved chalk grassland and scrub. The woods have few mature trees as most were felled during the 1940s, but a rich ground flora includes plants associated with ancient woodland, such as hairy brome and wood melick. The site is important for its butterflies and moths, and it has a diverse population of breeding birds.[78]
The reservoir was created in 1956 by damming a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It is an important site for wintering wildfowl, with more than 1% of the British populations of shoveler ducks and Bewick's swans. The freshwater plants and aquatic fauna in the lake are also of ecological interest.[84]
The site is chalk grassland which is reverting to scrub. It has a rich variety of herbs and of invertebrates, and is notable for reptiles and over-wintering birds, particularly thrushes. Over 30 species of butterflies and 180 of moths have been recorded.[85][86]
The site has grassland and scrub, which support interesting breeding birds and invertebrates, such as glow-worms and marbled white and chalk hill blue butterflies. There are areas of mature beech woodland, with a sparse shrub layer of holly and elder.[89]
A large part of the site is mature beech woodland, the result of neglected coppicing. Much of the ground is bare, but there are some unusual plants, including the nationally rare ghost orchid. Trees on the lower slopes include ash, wild cherry and crab apple, and there is heather in more open areas.[91]
The site has young beech plantations, with some conifers and many native trees. There are rides and glades in some areas which have important and varied herb-rich chalk grassland, with plants such as Chiltern gentian and upright brome-grass and a variety of orchids. The rich invertebrate fauna includes thirty species of butterfly and over four hundred of moth.[92][93]
Much of the woodland is young as it was felled in 1980, shortly before the Trust took over the site, but there are also areas of mature oak and ash. In 1998 dormice were introduced, and they live high up in the canopy. Other mammals include stoats and badgers, and there are birds such as great spotted woodpeckers, kestrels and buzzards. Grassy rides provide a habitat for butterflies.[94]
The site is deciduous woodland with the main trees being beach and hornbeam. The Great Storm of 1987 brought down several trees, creating open areas which were colonised by flowers such as bluebell and yellow archangel. Dead wood is kept to provide a habitat for insects and fungi. Birds include great spotted woodpeckers and Eurasian treecreepers.[95]
The site was owned in the late nineteenth century by Benjamin Disraeli, and the woodland is much older. It is semi-natural beech woodland on chalk, which is an unusual habitat, and it also has considerable wych elm. Its rich ground flora includes many wild flowers. There are a number of badger setts and a varied invertebrate fauna. Birds include great spotted woodpeckers and chiffchaffs.[96][97]
The site has two fields called Big Pilch and Little Pilch. The varied habitats in Big Pilch include wetland, fen, scrub, a stream and ridge-and-furrow grassland. The stream continues into Little Pilch, which has spring-fed fen and grassland. Over two hundred flowering plants have been recorded.[100] There are birds such as turtle doves, yellowhammers and reed buntings.[98]
The site is ancient woodland on heavy clay soils which are often waterlogged. The invertebrate fauna are described by Natural England as "exceptional", including over thirty butterfly species, such as the nationally rare black hairstreak and the scarce wood white and purple emperor. The woodland is wet ash and maple, and the understorey has species indicative of long tree cover, such as Poa nemoralis. In the ponds and ditches there are breeding smooth and great crested newts.[102]
The site consists of meadows on the floodplain of the River Ray, and it is a stronghold for rare species because heavy clay soils and frequent flooding makes arable farming difficult. Medieval ridge and furrow can still be seen in some fields. In the summer, drier areas have displays of wild flowers such as black knapweed, meadowsweet and tufted vetch.[103]
The reservoir was built in 1797 to supply water to the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal.[105][107] Large areas have a deep silt deposit, but the open water is an important site for 46 species of over-wintering waterfowl, and it is nationally important for shovelers. The areas around the reservoir has tall fen, reed beds and willow carr, which are declining habitats in Britain. There are over 300 species of beetle, of which six are rare nationally.[106]
The site has areas of woodland and grassland. The steeply sloping chalk meadow has many species of butterfly, including three scarce blue species, the Adonis, chalkhill and small blue. There are flowers such as common spotted and fragrant orchids. Beech woodland above the chalk bank supports great spotted woodpeckers and red kites, and lower woodland has beech and yews.[108]
The quarry exposes rocks dating to the Bathonian stage of the Middle Jurassic, about 167 million years ago. It is described by Natural England as of national importance for the understanding of the Jurassic Period in Britain as it allows correlation of rocks of the Oxford area to be correlated with those of the Midlands. The site has calcareous grassland with diverse vertebrates, including the internationally protected great crested newt.[113]
This hill has species-rich calcareous grassland, juniper scrub, which is an uncommon habitat, mixed scrub and woodland. More than 300 species of vascular plant have been recorded and 65 of birds. Many passerines breed in the scrub, and thrushes such as redwings and fieldfares feed on berries in the winter.[123]
The Thames Path runs through this marsh on the bank of the River Thames. Wet reed and sedge beds provide a habitat for diverse wildlife and there are also areas of grassland, willow scrub and two large ponds. Flora include marsh-marigold, meadowsweet and the rare summer snowflake.[124]
This reserve, which was formerly owned by the writer of children's books, C. S. Lewis, has a flooded clay pit, with many aquatic plants, toads, dragonflies and damselflies. There is also a steeply sloping wood with large boulders.[125]
This former sand quarry exposes a sequence of limestone rocks laid down in shallow coastal waters during the Oxfordian stage of the Jurassic, around 160 million years ago. It has many fossil ammonites. It has diverse calcareous habitats, including fen, grassland, scrub and heath. It is nationally important entomologically, especially for bees and wasps.[128]
This former sand quarry has heath, woodland, scrub, grassland and a pond. There are many solitary bees and wasps, which create burrows in the soft sand walls of the quarry. The ground has many lichens and grassland plants, and there are scattered boulders which are covered with mosses.[136]
This reserve is in two stretches of a disused railway line separated by a tunnel. Most of it is unimproved calcareous grassland with a rich variety of flora. The site is notable for its bee species, including one which has only been recorded at three other sites in the country, Andrena bucephala. It is geologically important because it exposes rocks dating to the Middle Jurassic, around 167 million years ago, which are the type section of the Hook Norton Member of the Chipping Norton Formation.[140]
These flood meadows between two arms of the River Thames are traditionally managed for hay and pasture. A large part of the site is on clay, and it is enriched by silt each year when it is flooded. There is a rich grassland flora, with the outstanding feature being 89,000 snake's head fritillaries, which produce purple flowers in the spring. There is a network of old river channels, ditches and overgrown hedges.[141][143]
Letcombe Brook, which runs through the reserve, is one of only two chalk streams in Oxfordshire and 161 nationwide. Wildlife includes water voles and fish such as bullhead, brown trout and the primitive brook lamprey. There are also Daubenton's bats, while insects include rare flies. Additional habitats are ancient woodland and a small area of chalk grassland.[147]
This site has fen, which is a nationally rare habitat, wet woodland, ancient woodland, open water and reedbeds. There are carnivorous plants, such as butterwort, which traps insects on its sticky leaves, and bladderwort, which traps them underwater. Other flora include southern marsh-orchids and the nationally scarce narrow-leaved marsh orchid[150]
This site has ancient woods which are shown on a map of 1786, together with areas of grassy clearings and scrub. More than 500 species of vascular plant have been recorded, including 18 orchids and the rare meadow clary, which is listed in the British Red Data Book of Plants. There are more than 75 bird species and 650 fungi, including many which are nationally rare.[156]
This is a working farm which grows wheat and barley. The fields have six metre wide margins which have been sown with wildflower seeds. There are also areas of wetland, grassland and woods. Birds include yellowhammer, grey partridge and red kite.[160]
These ancient woods are part of two former royal forests, Shotover and Bernwood. They are crossed by herb-rich and grassy rides, some of which are bordered by ditches, and there is also a pond and a marsh. Twenty-four species of butterfly have been recorded including the nationally rare black hairstreak.[163]
^"White Shute citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
^ ab"Wildmoor Heath". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
^ ab"Bernwood Meadows". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
^ ab"Calvert Jubilee". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
^ ab"College Lake". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
^ ab"Pitstone Quarry citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
^ ab"Map of Pitstone Quarry". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
^ ab"Finemere Wood". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
^"Finemere Wood SSSI". Designated Sites View. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
^ ab"Gomm Valley". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
^ ab"Gomm Valley citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
^"Gomm Valley". Chilterns Conservation Board. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
^ ab"Homefield Wood". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
^ abcd"Homefield Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
^ ab"Little Linford Wood". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
^ ab"Long Grove Wood". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
^ ab"Millfield Wood". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
^ ab"Millfield Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
^ ab"Pilch Field". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
^"Pilch Fields citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
^"Pilch Fields". Milton Keynes Natural History Society. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
^"Rushbeds Wood". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
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