Deacon Hill SSSI

Deacon Hill
Site of Special Scientific Interest
View from Deacon Hill
LocationBedfordshire
Grid referenceTL123295
InterestBiological
Area35.4 hectares
Notification1984
Location mapMagic Map

Deacon Hill SSSI is a 35.4-hectare (87-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Pegsdon in Bedfordshire.[1][2] It is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it is part of the Pegsdon Hills and Hoo Bit nature reserve, managed by Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.[3]

The site is calcareous grassland which is rich in plant species, some of which are uncommon.[1] Birds include lapwings and buzzards, and there are butterflies such as dingy and grizzled skippers. There are also the remains of ancient strip lynchet fields.[3]

The SSSI covers part of Deacon Hill and part of the adjacent Pegsdon Hills.[2] This is a remnant of semi-natural chalk downland and the calcareous soil supports a characteristic range of grasses and herbs. The main grasses present are sheep’s fescue, false oat-grass and upright brome. Forbs found here include spring sedge, autumn gentian, yellow-wort, fragrant orchid, common spotted-orchid, common milkwort, common rock-rose, cowslip, eyebright, clustered bellflower, harebell, carline thistle, wild thyme, marjoram and moschatel. There are also wild candytuft, field fleawort and pasque flower, all of which are rare in Bedfordshire.[1][3]

There is also some scrubland, the main trees being hawthorn, which often invades chalk downland, a buckthorn and wayfaring tree, with black bryony and old man's beard; false-brome usually dominates the ground flora in scrubby areas. There are glowworms, and grizzled skipper and dingy skipper butterflies.[1][3]

There is access to the site from Hitchin Road.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Deacon Hill citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Map of Deacon Hill". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d "Pegsdon Hills and Hoo Bit". Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Retrieved 8 March 2015.

51°57′10″N 0°22′02″W / 51.9527°N 0.3673°W / 51.9527; -0.3673