Category: Private Sites

Steepdown Hill Local Wildlife Site

Posted on by Sue Standing

Steepdown Hill Local Wildlife Site is a field on Lychpole Farm, 900m east of Beggars Bush car park, Sompting BN15 0AY, where Titch Hill Road meets Steyning Bostal Road.

CROW Act Open Access Areas are nearly always open but please refer to maps to identify which field is the Open Access Area.

Access to the site is 900m of rough track and then a steep hill slope on which livestock may be present. Unfortunately, this site is not accessible for some disabilities due to the path being very rough and the hillside very steep and uneven.

The only Parking is at Beggars Bush car park, do not drive into the farmhouses area at this postcode. If that is full, park in North Sompting residential area and walk up the footpaths from Herbert Road west then north. Access into the field is via the public footpath.  For your safety please only enter fields where a public footpath is indicated.

The site is about 10Ha with Cowslips and Harebells often flowering on this ancient species rich chalk grassland.

The site is managed by the Farmer with regular grazing outside of the flowering season, and occasional control of scrub as needed.

Seed collection is not allowed as this is a designated Local Wildlife Site and the seed should stay where it is to sustain populations.

Steepdown Hill LWS is ancient chalk grassland; it was too steep to be mechanically ploughed and fertilised when so much wildflower-rich chalk downland was ploughed to feed the nation after World War II.  So it is a precious survival.  The lower, flatter northwest part of the meadow was ploughed and fertilised, but Sompting Estate and our Lychpole Farm tenants have reverted it to unfertilised grassland.  We hope that over years to come, the cattle and sheep grazing the older parts of the meadow will bring seeds on their hooves to make that part flower-rich like the rest. 

More information on www.somptingestate.com/farming-with-nature

Our future plans are to extend the flower-rich sward diversity over the former arable field in the NW corner of the site, which we have added to the LWS area for this purpose.

For more information visit Sompting Estate

Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden

Posted on by Sue Standing

Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden (CAWG) is located off Cortis Avenue, Broadwater, Worthing (BN14 7BG) .  It is a small site (owned by Worthing Homes) about the size of a football pitch. It is managed by a constituted community group of volunteers. The site is gated for security as the original site was a fly-tipped playing field. As well as a refuge for wildlife in an urban area, we aim to be an educational resource for people interested in encouraging wildlife into their gardens.

A rich habitat for pollinators
A colourful wildflower meadow

The garden is open for visitors and volunteers every Wednesday and Friday between 10am and 12 noon, and also at those time on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month.

The site is managed to create a number of different wildlife habitats – trees and hedgerows, orchard, pond, wildflower meadow, herb garden, rough grass, nettles and brambles. Flowers planted for sun and semi-shade to attract pollinators, and we have a beehive.

The types of flower plants are quite numerous so examples only:

Dappled Shade – wood spurge, primrose, foxglove, honesty, dames violet, garlic mustard, red campion, cow parsley

Sunny – wild carrot, knapweed, scabious, oxeye daisy, teasel, mullein, mallow, white deadnettle, ragwort (for Cinnabar Moth), plus annual wildflower mix

Flowering Trees and Hedgerow – Buddleia, Bird Cherry, Spindle, Guelder Rose, Dogwood, Wild Rose, Hawthorn, Alder Buckthporn, Hazel, Sussex Heritage Apple Trees, Wild Service Trees, Blackthorn, Field Maple, Elderberry

The wildlife supported includes butterflies – Yellow Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Small Copper, Red Admiral, Peacock, and various Moths, including the Cinnabar Moth.

Also a range of other wildlife – damsel and dragonflies, pond creatures, mini-beasts and bugs e.g. shield bugs, grass hoppers, beetles.

And of course, we always have a resident fox.

We can be contacted via our email address: corstisavewildlife@gmail.com or phone 01903 530780 to speak to the Secretary.
Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden | Facebook

Rosedene and “Forest of Rosedene”, Worthing

Posted on by Michelle

Residents Richard and Merry from Downlands Avenue, Worthing, have dedicated two sites to supporting nature in their local community.

“Rosedene” is a 30m2 front garden at 39 Downlands Avenue, consciously planted with Vipers Bugloss, with other wildflowers emerging from the natural seed bank present in the ground. Ground is concrete overlaid with 100mm shingle, this provides a very dry, well draining, low in nutrient substrate perfect for established wildflowers favouring drier conditions . Plants are cut down only when seeds have dropped and replenished the seed bank in the ground. Accessibility wise, the garden is open to the pavement with no steps, so viewing this site is possible anytime during daylight hours. There is a seat available for visitors who need to sit down. The Vipers Bugloss flowers from May to August. Richard and Merry have installed a pond to catch rainwater from gutters via a water butt to support the water catchment of the garden. A public noticeboard is present which is used as a vehicle for posting information about nature.

  • A Blackbird enjoying the front garden at Rosedene
  • The front garden at Rosedene, Downlands Avenue

 

“Forest of Rosedene” is a substantial plot of around 100m2 comprising of a mini forest area richly planted with various seedlings and seeds, including Elm Trees, Apple Trees and Cow Parsley. There is a good mixture of plants flowering at different times of the year and visitors are able to see various species of bees, moths and butterflies. Richard and Mary act as stewards of this precious piece of land for the benefit of wildlife. Future plans for the site include finalising a management plan and turning the forest into a trust.

This is a closed site and so visits are strictly by arrangement only. Please contact Richard at richard.battson@cooptel.net for more information.

  • Elm Trees and Cow Parsley can be found in the Forest of Rosedene
  • Red Admiral spotted enjoying the Apple Tree blossom