Local Wildlife Site

Wildlife

Home Covert in the northwest of the site is dominated by oak, including a number of large trees, with abundant hazel. Although there is extensive bramble, the woodland floor is generally rather bare due to erosive footfall. Soft rush and great willowherb grow in seasonally wet ditches beside the paths. Purple hairstreak butterflies may be seen at the woodland edges.Lowdham Field contains moderately rich grassland, with common grasses including meadow foxtail, timothy, tufted hair-grass and red fescue. There is also significant scrub invasion here, principally of bramble.Within the amenity grassland of Pole Hill Open Space there are areas of rough grassland, the most diverse of which is around the Old Abbotstonians Rugby Club. Here there is an exceptionally rich range of plants; amongst them being red bartsia, grass vetchling, agrimony, meadow cranesbill, lesser hawkbit and tormentil.On the eastern edge of the site a small pond and associated ditch are partly concealed in the hedgerow. The wetland plant life here includes common water plantain, floating sweet-grass, reed canary-grass and false fox sedge.

Facilities

Car parking; playground; animalbird enclosure.