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BANSTEAD COMMONS CONSERVATORS |
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On this page you will find
images of both plants and
animals that are found on the Commons. All photographs were
taken
on the Commons. Hopefully, they may encourage people to go
out
and explore the Commons and their associated wildlife
Wild Flowers of the Commons Orchids One of the floral specialities of chalk grassland are various orchid species. The North Downs in general is home to more than twenty species including a number that are nationally endangered. So far only seven species have been recorded on Banstead and Park Downs and as recently as two years ago, one species (Greater Butterfly Orchid) was recorded for the first time on the site. The nearest known location for this species is over three miles away and so who knows what other species may appear given the correct conditions. |
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  Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), this species occurs on Banstead Downs, Park Downs and Banstead Heath. It is very variable in the colour and pattern of the flower as these photographs suggest.  |
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Below: Three images of Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) growing on Banstead Downs (10th May 2006)    |
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   Right: Pyramidal
Orchid
(Anacamptis
pyramidalis). This plant
has been increasing
on Park
Downs over the past few years following scrub clearance and also grows in small numbers on Banstead Downs. (July
2006)
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  Two views of Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha) growing on Park Downs. The flower spike is about eighteen inches high. This species flowered for the first time on this site in May 2004. There are no previous records of it's presence on Park Downs |
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 Man Orchid (Aceras anthropophorum) on Park Downs. Man Orchid is a North Downs speciality, being otherwise nationally rare. The flower spike is approximately 15-18 inches tall. It has been recorded sporadically on Park Downs in the past but more recently has responded to grassland management with increasing numbers of plants flowering each year. This species has also been recorded on Banstead Downs golf course. (May 2006) |
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Berries and other fruits Scrub growth on the Commons provide important food for wildlife especially overwintering birds such as Fieldfares and Redwings. Below is a selction of the fruit that can be seen in autumn and early winter.    Above: Blackthorn or Sloe(Prunus spinosa)
Top left: Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) Right: Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) Left: Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba), a climbing plant  Right: Black Bryony (Tamus communis), another climber.
Below: Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)
    Finally, perhaps the most colourful of the berry-bearing plants, the Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaeus) bears pink fruit that split to reveal the orange seeds inside (left). On Banstead Downs there are a few unusual plants that show white rather than pink berries (right). |
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| Wildlife on the Commons | |||
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Butterflies and moths  Left: Cinnabar moth caterpillar on Ragwort. Whereas we are exorted to remove Ragwort wherever it occurs because of it's poisonous effects on grazing animals, this moth depends on it for it's own survival. |
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  Both the Common Blue (right) and Chalkhill Blue (left are to be found on Banstead and Park Downs.
On Banstead Downs there is a nationally important population of the Small Blue. |
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Three
of the commoner butterflies on the Downs: the Brimstone (left),
a bright yellow butterfly that is usually one of the first to appear in
the year, Marbled White (centre) that appears in early summer and is
often found in very large numbers on Banstead Downs; and Large Skipper,
one of three Skipper species to be found on the Downs.   
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