Stonesfield Common, Bottoms and Banks
Site of Special Scientific Interest
LocationOxfordshire
Grid referenceSP 392 165[1]
InterestBiological
Area27.45 hectares (67.8 acres)[1]
Notification1989[1]
Location mapMagic Map

Stonesfield Common, Bottoms and Banks is a 27.45-hectare (67.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) south of Stonesfield in Oxfordshire.[1][2][3]

This site is composed of steeply sloping valleys and banks. Most of it is unimproved Oolithic limestone grassland and scrub, but there is also an area of semi-natural beech-wych elm ancient woodland. This area forms one of the largest remnants of such grassland type in the UK.[3] The five units of Stonesfield Common, Bottoms and Banks SSSI are Church Street, Baggs Bottom, The Common, Stockey Bottom, and the River Evenlode.[4] The site is managed by the Thames Solent area team.[5] The grass in Stonesfield Common is mainly upright brome, and herbs include field scabious, greater knapweed, lady's bedstraw and pyramidal orchid.[3] The main habitats present in the SSSI are broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland lowland, and calcareous grassland.[1] Soils in this site are typically calcareous with stoneless, clayey soils.[3] Fauna in the area includes the small blue butterfly Cupido minimus, colonies of the marbled white Melanargia galathea butterflies, and invertebrate territories such as those of the white-legged damselfly Platycnemis pennipes.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Designated Sites View: Stonesfield Common, Bottoms and Banks". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. ↑ "Map of Stonesfield Common, Bottoms and Banks". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Stonesfield Common, Bottoms and Banks citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "Site units". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  5. ↑ "Natural England offices and area teams". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2022-04-10.

51°50′46″N 1°25′55″W / 51.846°N 1.432°W / 51.846; -1.432

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.