About the reserve

Sheer variety

The diversity of this small nature reserve is quite staggering. Boasting ancient broadleaved woodland, limestone grasslands, reedbed, fen, a stream and rare Oxfordshire heathland, the reserve supports over 400 plant species. The site is also teeming with birds and insect life; butterflies include the purple hairstreak, brown hairstreak, common blue and marbled white.

Sequence of flowers

In spring, cowslips and hairy violets begin a procession of changing colour in the flower-rich grassland. This festival peaks in summer with a display of knapweed, small scabious, yellow rattle, common rock-rose, wild basil and marjoram.

Heathland

The heath's gorse, with its coconut-scented flowers, attracts flocks of linnet. Lizards can often be seen basking in this sunshine on stacked log piles. Grass snakes and slow-worms can occasionally be glimpsed. The unusual nutrient-poor sandy soil provides a perfect niche for heath specialists including heather and a diverse community of solitary wasps and bees that live in burrows in the sand.

Reserve champions - supporting their favourite reserve

Liza Denny

Marion Gillie

Things to do 

• Try our circular Wildlife Walk (3/4 mile). Just follow the badger waymarkers. 
• We run regular work parties on the reserve.