Betony
The area of lowland meadows in the UK has declined catastrophically, by over 97%, during the past 60 years.
Agriculturally unimproved grassland which has never been fertilised, sprayed or ploughed is a habitat which has dwindled alarmingly in the UK since the inter-war period. Meadows on unimproved, pH neutral soils provide a home for many wild flowers, including agrimony, betony, common knapweed, devil's-bit scabious, dyer's greenweed, orchids, ox-eye daisy, salad burnet and saw-wort. You can read more about this habitat in the 'Wildlife' section of this website.
It is estimated that there are now less than 15,000 hectares of this species-rich habitat left in the UK. The area of Assley, Hareley, Hawkesbury and Inglestone Commons amounts to almost 1% of this total resource. Correspondingly, the Commons are of county importance for wildlife, designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI). Some of the grassland on the Commons is still species-rich, and most of these flower-rich areas are of national importance and hence designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). However other areas of the Commons have lost their species-diversity and need restoring.
Agriculturally unimproved grassland which has never been fertilised, sprayed or ploughed is a habitat which has dwindled alarmingly in the UK since the inter-war period. Meadows on unimproved, pH neutral soils provide a home for many wild flowers, including agrimony, betony, common knapweed, devil's-bit scabious, dyer's greenweed, orchids, ox-eye daisy, salad burnet and saw-wort. You can read more about this habitat in the 'Wildlife' section of this website.
It is estimated that there are now less than 15,000 hectares of this species-rich habitat left in the UK. The area of Assley, Hareley, Hawkesbury and Inglestone Commons amounts to almost 1% of this total resource. Correspondingly, the Commons are of county importance for wildlife, designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI). Some of the grassland on the Commons is still species-rich, and most of these flower-rich areas are of national importance and hence designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). However other areas of the Commons have lost their species-diversity and need restoring.