Ham Hill, Wiltshire
51°21′12″N 1°31′24″W / 51.3534°N 1.5232°W / 51.3534; -1.5232
Ham Hill is a hill and area of chalk downland in Wiltshire, England, on the steep banks running alongside the road from the village of Ham to Buttermere, close to the Berkshire border. A biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notified in 1971, covers 1.5 hectares of the site; this designation is due to the site's species-rich plant and insect communities, which include some rare species. Notable among these is the musk orchid (Herminium monorchis), which has been confirmed at only one other site in Wiltshire.
The site is managed as a nature reserve by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. It is managed by grazing with sheep to prevent scrub encroachment and takeover by rank vegetation, which would otherwise crowd out the scarce plant species.[1]
Biological interest
The hillsides at this site have short, herb-rich grassland, and the flatter areas, taller vegetation. The main species in the plant communities here are upright brome (Bromus erectus), sheep's fescue (Festuca ovina), quaking-grass (Briza media), and downland herbs such as burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga), salad-burnet (Sanguisorba minor), common milkwort (Polygala vulgaris) and dwarf thistle (Cirsium acaule).[2] Other plant species found include squinancywort (Asperula cynanchica).[2]
A wide range of typical chalk downland specialists are found at Ham Hill including clustered bellflower (Campanula glomerata), autumn gentian (gentianella amarella), chalk milkwort (Polygala vulgaris), horseshoe vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) and common rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium).[1] Both clustered bellflower (Campanula glomerata and autumn gentian (gentianella amarella) are abundant.[2]
This is one of only two confirmed sites in Wiltshire for musk orchid (Herminium monorchis).[3] Seven other species of orchids are presented including frog orchid (Coeloglossum viride), burnt orchid (Orchis ustulata) and fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea).[2]
Chalk-grassland bryophytes found here include the liverwort Leiocolea turbinata and the mosses Ctenidium molluscum, Dicranella varia, Weissia microstoma and Entodon concinnus.[2]
A colony of the Duke of Burgundy butterflies (Hamearis lucina) is present and other butterfly species associated with chalk flora include green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi), dingy skipper (Erynnis tages), dark green fritillary (Argynnis aglaja) and chalkhill blue (Lysandra coridon).[2]
The Roman snail (Helix pomatia), the largest snail species to be found in Britain, occurs here.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Ham Hill Nature Reserve, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (accessed 1 March 2022)
- ^ a b c d e f Natural England citation sheet for the site (accessed 1 March 2022)
- ^ Pilkington, Sharon (2007) Wiltshire Rare Plant Register (The rare and threatened vascular plants of North and South Wiltshire)
External links
- Ham Hill - Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
- Natural England website (SSSI information)
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- Acres Farm Meadow
- River Avon System
- Baverstock Juniper Bank
- Bencroft Hill Meadows
- Bentley Wood
- Bincknoll Dip Woods
- Blackmoor Copse
- Botley Down
- Bowerchalke Downs
- Box Mine
- Bracknell Croft
- Bradley Woods
- Bratton Downs
- Brickworth Down and Dean Hill
- Brimsdown Hill
- Britford Water Meadows
- Burcombe Down
- Burderop Wood
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- Camp Down
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- Clattinger Farm
- Clearbury Down
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- Clout's Wood
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- The Coombes, Hinton Parva
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- Cranborne Chase
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- East Harnham Meadows
- Ebsbury Down
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- Figsbury Ring
- Fonthill Grottoes
- Fyfield Down
- Gallows Hill
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- Great Cheverell Hill
- Great Yews
- Gutch Common
- Ham Hill
- Hang Wood
- Harries Ground, Rodbourne
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- Heath Hill Farm
- Homington and Coombe Bissett Downs
- Honeybrook Farm
- Inwood, Warleigh
- Jones's Mill
- River Kennet
- Kennet and Lambourn Floodplain
- King's Play Hill
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- Landford Bog
- Landford Heath
- Langley Wood and Homan's Copse
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- Long Knoll
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- Lower Woodford Water Meadows
- Midford Valley Woods
- Morgan's Hill
- The New Forest
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- Odstock Down
- Out Woods
- Parsonage Down
- Pewsey Downs
- Picket and Clanger Wood
- Piggledene
- Pike Corner
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- Porton Down
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- Prescombe Down
- Rack Hill
- Ravensroost Wood
- Restrop Farm and Brockhurst Wood
- Rotherley Downs
- Roundway Down and Covert
- Salisbury Plain
- Savernake Forest
- Scratchbury & Cotley Hills
- Silbury Hill
- Spye Park
- Starveall and Stony Down
- Steeple Langford Down
- Stockton Wood and Down
- Stoke Common Meadows
- Stratford Toney Down
- Sutton Lane Meadows
- Throope Down
- River Till
- Tytherington Down
- Upper Waterhay Meadow
- Upton Cow Down
- West Yatton Down
- Whiteparish Common
- Whitesheet Hill
- Win Green Down
- Winklebury Hill
- Winsley Mines
- Wylye and Church Dean Downs
- Yarnbury Castle
- Neighbouring areas
- Avon
- Berkshire
- Dorset
- Gloucestershire
- Hampshire
- Oxfordshire
- Somerset