Under Beacon, a reserve in transition

by Nick Sherwin.

The last area of woodland was cleared from the Under Beacon reserve in 2013 allowing the planned cattle grazing to be implemented across the reserve. But in early 2015 the plan was interrupted owing to the discovery of TB in cattle within Sussex leading to a lockdown. We were therefore unable to bring cattle into the reserve in the Spring.

When the trustees visited the site in June growth was accordingly higher than had been planned. The flora was however more varied as a result. Calcareous grassland indicators such as horseshoe vetch were interspersed with more typical woodland species such as white bryony, bittersweet and wood sage and indicators of ground disturbance, probably resulting from the woodland clearance itself, such as field forget-me-not and corn mint.

As the grazing regime becomes established the grassland species will become more dominant in accordance with the trust's objectives.

The following floral species were identified in the reserve:

Bird's-foot-trefoil

Bittersweet

Blackthorn

Cat's Ear

Common Nettle

Common Sorrel

Common Spotted-orchid

Common Toadflax

Common Valerian

Common Vetch

Corn Mint

Creeping Buttercup

Crosswort

Deadly Nightshade

Dewberry

Dwarf Gorse

Elder

Eyebright

Fairy Flax

Field Forget-me-not

Field Mouse-ear

Greater Knapweed

Hawthorn

Hedge Bedstraw

Hemp Agrimony

Hoary Ragwort

Horseshoe Vetch

Hound's-tongue

Lady's Bedstraw

Marsh Thistle

Meadow Buttercup

Ploughman's Spikenard

Ragwort

Raspberry

Red Clover

Ribwort Plantain

Rough Hawkbit

Silverweed

Smooth Tare

Spotted Medick

Stitchwort

Traveller's Joy

White Bryony

White Campion

White Clover

White Mullein

Wild Angelica

Wild Parsnip

Wood Sage