Wild Surrey Member's Handbook

HANDBOOK

WILD Surrey

Thank you for joining

Paul Thrush

Thank you for choosing to support Surrey Wildlife Trust.

I hope you enjoy discovering Surrey’s wild side as you join us in championing nature!

We are a grassroots organisation that believes that we need nature, and it needs us. You have joined more than 900,000 members and 39,000 volunteers across the UK who are working together as part of a Federation of 46 Wildlife Trusts to make nature a bigger part of life for everyone.

Each individual Trust is an independent charity and here in Surrey your support enables us to directly manage over 5,000 hectares of land for wildlife across the county with the support of over 3000 volunteers. We also work with many other organisations, landowners, and communities to protect and connect nature where they live and work.

Founded in 1959 as The Surrey Naturalists’ Trust, over 60 years later our name may have changed, but the motivation that inspired our founders remains the same - but sadly so do the challenges they faced. Despite the best efforts of conservationists, many native species are still in decline, unique habitats continue to be lost because of poor planning or management, and our rivers and waterways remain in a sorry state. Whilst they continue to play a vital role, nature reserves are also no longer large enough to preserve our remaining natural habitats.

A healthy environment is key to our own health, wellbeing and economic prosperity and calls to reverse nature’s declines have rightly grown increasingly louder. However, it is only through sustained pressure on policymakers to protect the environment and our own actions for wildlife as individuals that will turn the tide. We’re immensely proud to be spearheading the fight to restore nature in Surrey and your support is vital.

In this guide you’ll find some of the best places to experience nature in the county, information on Surrey’s unique wildlife and wild places, and tips for how to get more involved with the organisation you have chosen to support. Thank you.

Sarah Jane Chimbwandira CEO Surrey Wildlife Trust

Your membership

Annual General Meetings

Surrey Wildlife Trust is a registered charity managed by Trustees who are appointed by you, our members.

Our Trustees are a group of volunteers who hold the financial and legal responsibility for everything the Trust does.

Members are invited to participate and vote at Annual General Meetings (AGM), where they have the opportunity to shape the direction of the Trust, influence its governance and hear about the work we are doing for nature.

We’ll send you an invite to attend our AGM by post and email every year.

Find out more at surreywildlifetrust.org/governance

Magazine

We’ll send you Surrey Nature magazine three times a year. It’s filled with wildlife news, views and research to keep you up to date with our work in Surrey and that of the wider Wildlife Trust movement. If you’d prefer to receive a digital edition, contact our membership team, and we’ll email a link for you to access Surrey Nature on your preferred device.

Update your contact details at surreywildlifetrust.org/my-details

Free walks and talks

Trust members get priority booking and free places on our guided walks and talks.

Book online at surreywildlifetrust.org/events

Discounted courses

Members receive discounted rates on many of our courses. From wildflower photography to bat ecology, our courses cover a range of topics and the majority are held in the beautiful surrounds of Nower Wood Education Centre.

Find out more at surreywildlifetrust.org/courses

Useful contacts

Postal address

Surrey Wildlife Trust, School Lane, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey GU24 0JN

Membership enquiries

membership@surreywt.org.uk 01483 795445

General enquiries

info@surreywt.org.uk 01483 795440

Walks, talks & events events@surreywt.org.uk

Courses

adult.learning@surreywt.org.uk 01372 379523

Offers

Cotswold Outdoor

Vinehouse Farm Bird Food

Take 10% off your first order with Vinehouse Farm bird food.

Gifts & clothing

More ways to protect wildlife

Royal seal of approval

Our volunteers have been recognised for their contribution to wildlife conservation, winning The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2018. This is the highest honour given to volunteers, equivalent to an MBE.

Whether it’s through volunteering, fundraising or making a donation, there are so many ways to get involved.

Volunteering

Without our volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to get things done for wildlife. Would you like to get more involved in helping us care for Surrey’s nature?

Outdoor & practical volunteering

Help us carry out practical conservation tasks on the sites we manage - it’s a great way to keep fit, make friends and learn new skills. Tasks are seasonal, with scrub clearance and coppicing taking place during autumn and winter, whilst spring and summer involve removing invasive plant species, creating areas of bare ground for invertebrates, or setting up grazing compartments.

Our volunteer days usually run from 10am until late afternoon, with regular rest breaks and time for lunch. We’ll also keep you topped-up with refreshments and biscuits!

Education volunteering

The Trust hosts school visits, holiday clubs, open days, and courses at Nower Wood Education Centre near Leatherhead. Volunteering opportunities include teaching, event support, and assisting with administration.

surreywildlifetrust.org/volunteer

Get involved

Donate

We’re grateful for donations of any size! Every extra penny will help us protect and connect wildlife habitats across Surrey and inspire people to act for nature.

surreywildlifetrust.org/donate

Leaving a gift

A gift to Surrey Wildlife Trust in your Will is a great way to make a lasting contribution to local wildlife, giving future generations the opportunity to enjoy a healthy, wildlife-rich natural world. surreywildlifetrust.org/legacies

Fundraising

From setting up a sponsored run to organising a special event like an afternoon tea party or ‘bring and buy’ sale - you can help raise funds for wildlife in all sorts of ways! justgiving.com/surreywildlife

How it all began

The Wildlife Trust movement can be traced back over 100 years.

In 1912, banker and naturalist Nathaniel Charles Rothschild held a meeting at the Natural History Museum in London to discuss his idea for a new organisation to save the best places for wildlife in the British Isles.

This meeting led to the formation of the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves (SPNR), now known as The Wildlife Trusts.

Although a key player in his family’s famous banking empire, Rothschild’s real passion was wildlife. A man ahead of his time, he called for the protection of whole habitats as well as individual species and knew conservation policy had to be based on sound science. Under Rothschild, the SPNR undertook the first ever national survey of wildlife sites across the British Isles, and by 1915 a list of 284 sites ‘worthy of preservation’ was compiled - the Rothschild Reserves. Those that survive (including Sheepleas in Surrey) are now Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) or designated nature reserves, many of them protected by law.

Sadly, Rothschild never saw the culmination of his work. Following his death in 1923, the SPNR worked to secure Government protection for the sites across the UK they considered ‘worthy of preservation’, but it was not until 1949 that the National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act was passed, cementing nature

conservation in law. The Government’s first conservation agency (the Nature Conservancy Council) was formed, along with the first National Parks and SSSI designation, which protected wildlife sites. Finally, Rothschild’s original vision was coming to pass.

Local conservation organisations were the forerunners to the Wildlife Trusts and started to emerge in the inter-war period. The first was Norfolk in 1926, followed by Yorkshire in 1946 and Lincolnshire in 1948. The 1950s saw many more groups forming, including The Surrey Naturalists’ Trust in 1959. By the end of that decade, the SPRN took on the role of a national association to represent them.

Its combined local knowledge and expertise made the federation an effective conservation movement, but it was no easy task to maintain cohesion between so many individual organisations. Ted Smith, a founder of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, played a key role in coordinating the emerging Trusts and the first national conference was held in Lincolnshire and attended by 15 local Trusts. When the Scottish Wildlife Trust was formed in 1964, Wildlife Trusts covered the whole of Britain.

During the 70s and 80s the SPNR underwent several name changes, with King Charles (then HRH The Prince of Wales) becoming a patron in 1977 as the Society for the Promotion of Nature Conservation (SPNC), and Sir David Attenborough its president in 1991 as the Royal Society for Nature Conservation (RSNC).

During this time the local Trusts continued to expand, purchasing nature reserves, carrying out volunteer work, raising funds and attracting local membership bases.

By 1996, ‘The Wildlife Trusts’ was chosen as the name by which the organisation is now known, and many local Trusts began using the iconic badger logo. There are now 46 individual Wildlife Trusts working together, covering the whole of the UK. They are represented

by a central charity - The Wildlife Trusts - which is effectively the same organisation that Rothschild founded more than a century ago.

Nathaniel Charles Rothschild The Wildlife Trusts Founder

David Attenborough visits Nower Wood in 1985

Wildlife in our county

Surrey is one of the most biodiverse counties in the UK, yet one-third of species are now lost or in decline.

Surrey has always been beautiful, diverse and brimming with life, boasting one of the highest numbers of recorded non-marine species in the country. This owes much to British social history, the proximity of Surrey to London, and its many historic scientific institutions.

Surrey is home to a stunning array of species and habitats

Geography & geology

Surrey’s position in the southeastern corner of the UK provides a milder climate and closer proximity to the continent, both helping to boost biological diversity.

Whilst our county lacks a coastline, Surrey retains a significant proportion of the country’s remaining lowland heathland and mires alongside smaller, but equally well-preserved examples of chalk downland. Surrey is England’s most wooded county, and also hosts several river catchments including the Thames, Mole and Wey.

Jon HawkinsSurrey Hills Photography

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Socio-economics

Semi-natural habitats are much more prevalent in Surrey than in many other English lowland counties. Again, this has as much to do with the social history of our county and the fact that large parts of the landscape are relatively unsuited to intensive agriculture. Surrey has also benefitted from Green Belt legislation since 1938, further protecting it from urban expansion. However, Surrey still experienced its fair share of intensification in farming, mineral extraction, and river realignment schemes after the Second World War. Whilst many of these industries are now redundant or in decline, creeping urbanisation and ever-increasing population density continues to put pressure on our natural landscapes.

Surrey’s nature

Protecting wildlife

Although we can still celebrate the richness, wildness and beauty of our natural landscapes, onethird of our native species have either been lost or are in decline, despite conservationists’ efforts to reverse the loss of biodiversity.

Surrey hosts important populations of around 30% of the rapidlydeclining species afforded ‘priority’ conservation status under UK law. Most of these now reside within protected priority habitats and are reliant on our efforts to conserve them in this county.

In this section, you’ll find detailed information about some of Surrey’s most important species and habitats, as well as how we are working to protect them.

Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Surrey’s nature

DannyGreen

Hazel Dormouse

Muscardinus avellanarius

Formerly common, Dormice are now only found in isolated populations in southern England and Wales.

Dormice can be found in a variety of habitats and landscapes, particularly mature, well-managed woodlands linked by continuous, healthy hedgerows. Surrey is an important holdout, so woodland management such as coppicing, ride widening, thinning or glade creation is essential to create the ideal habitat for this species.

Dormice are mostly active at night and will climb high into the trees to hunt for hazelnuts, berries, flowers, and insects. Outside of hibernation, Dormice build nests out of grass and leaves in shrubs and trees up to 10 meters high. Females will give birth to up to seven young, typically having only one litter a year.

In autumn, Dormice start looking for the perfect spot to hibernate for winter. They often choose to sleep in hollow logs, piles of leaves at the base of trees, or in fissures just below ground where they can avoid the winter cold. Even if temperatures drop or food becomes scarce outside of hibernation season, they can save energy by dropping their body temperature and going into a state of ‘torpor’. In fact, Dormice can spend nearly three-quarters of the year ‘asleep’ in some form.

How to identify

Hazel Dormice have gingery-brown fur, large black eyes and a long, fluffy tail. However, as they are very rare and a nocturnal species, you would be very lucky to spot one.

Statistics

Dormice in Surrey

Dormice in Surrey are now largely confined to isolated pockets, with only a few known strongholds. The hedgerows and woodlands that Dormice use to shelter, breed, feed and sleep have suffered from widespread mismanagement and loss, but the Trust is working hard to restore these habitats.

Mammal

Length: 6-9cm

Weight: 15-40g

Average lifespan: 5 years

When to see April to October

Iconic wildlife species

Dartford Warbler

Sylvia undata

This maroon and grey bird can be spotted singing its scratchy song on heathland sites.

Named after the Thames estuarine town of Dartford, where they were first recorded as a breeding bird in the 1770s, the Dartford Warbler is found mainly in the south. It is dependent on mature, dry heathland habitats with good gorse cover, which help it to survive cold winters. As an insectivore, it has a thin pointed beak that’s perfect for picking invertebrates from vegetation.

Unlike all their closest relatives, Dartford Warblers do not migrate in winter, which leaves them vulnerable to cold weather and prolonged snow cover. When the UK’s breeding population of Dartford Warblers crashed in the 1960s, only 10 pairs remained. Today, there are about 3,200 pairs nesting on lowland heaths across the UK.

Like other heathland birds, Dartford Warblers are ground-nesting, preferring to breed under the protective cover of dense heather or compact gorse. They make a grassy, cup-shaped nest, in which they lay three to five eggs. They can have up to three broods from April to July.

How to identify

The Dartford Warbler has a longish tail, a distinctive red eye-ring and a cherry-red breast. It is most easily spotted warbling its rattly song from the top of a gorse stem.

Dartford Warblers in Surrey

Thanks to good habitat management, we have a healthy population of Dartford Warblers in Surrey, and they are found on heathland sites such as Chobham Common.

As ground nesting birds, they are vulnerable to disturbance, particularly by wayward dogs, so it’s important that they are kept under close control during nesting season.

Bird

Length: 12cm

Wingspan: 16cm

Average lifespan: 5 years

When to see

April to October

Iconic wildlife species

Sand Lizard

The Sand Lizard is one of the UK’s rarest reptiles, found on just a few widely scattered sites in southern and coastal England.

Found basking on sandy heathlands and dunes, the Sand Lizard digs burrows up to a metre deep in loose soil for shelter, both for night-time refuge and for hibernation. The entrance is usually hidden in the undergrowth and turns sharply after just a few centimetres so that the lizard is concealed when inside.

Males emerge from hibernation in spring, turning a distinctive bright green colour as they get ready to mate. Sand Lizards are one of only two UK reptiles which lay eggs; these are buried in sand exposed to the sun, which helps incubate them. The eggs are laid in June and July, with the young hatching one to two months later. They can go on to live for up to 20 years if not predated and the conditions remain optimal.

Like most reptiles, Sand Lizards are cold blooded and do not eat very often. They are mainly insectivores, hunting by detecting motion, but will also occasionally cannibalise their own young. They are predated by Kestrels, corvids, and Smooth Snakes, as well as domestic cats. Loss of vegetation cover as a result of wildfires can have a high impact on Sand Lizards, making them more vulnerable to predators.

How to identify

A stocky lizard, female Sand Lizards are a sandybrown colour, with rows of dark blotches along the back; males have green flanks that are at their brightest during the breeding season.

Sand Lizards in Surrey

We are lucky to have several small Sand Lizard populations, restricted to a limited number of sites. We work hard to maintain and connect heathland habitats and extend their range.

Statistics

Reptile

Length: 12cm

Wingspan: 16cm

Average lifespan: 5 years

When to see April to October

Lacerta agilis

Steve Davis

Silver-studded Blue

Plebejus argus

The dazzling Silver-studded Blue is a rare butterfly of heathland habitats in southern England.

Surrey’s nature

The Silver-studded Blue first flies in June and is usually on the wing until late August. A scarce butterfly that rarely flies any distance, it is restricted to close-knit colonies and generally found in sparsely vegetated areas. The larvae feed on a wide variety of plants, such as Bell Heather, Cross-leaved Heath and gorses.

The caterpillars of the Silver-studded Blue have a mutually-beneficial relationship with several species of black ants on our heathland sites. The females lay their eggs in the vicinity of ant nests and soon after hatching, the caterpillars are taken inside to be tended in return for a sugary substance that they excrete in large quantities. The ants also escort the larvae out to feed at dusk and guard them against predators.

Silver-studded Blues live in sedentary colonies of around 1000 adults, only flying some 50 metres. This means that they tend to be found in the same areas of a site.

How to identify

The Silver-studded Blue is a small butterfly which gets its name from the light blue reflective ‘studs’ (scales) found on the underside of the wings. The upper wings are blue with a dark outer rim. Males are bluer than females, which are more of a dull brown.

Silver-studded Blues in Surrey

Although it is known to occur in several other habitats, small populations of Silver-studded Blues are mainly found on heathland sites in Surrey. Effective scrub control is essential to maintain the environment this butterfly needs to survive. This is carried out by Trust staff and volunteers through techniques such as conservation grazing and ground disturbance.

Statistics

Invertebrate

Wingspan: 2.6-3.2cm

Average lifespan: 4 days

When to see June to August

Surrey’s nature

Heath Tiger Beetle

Cicindela sylvatica

A rare insect of sandy heathland, the Heath Tiger Beetle is the largest of the UK’s five tiger beetle species.

Not to be confused with the more common Green Tiger Beetle, over half of the Heath Tiger Beetle’s populations are thought to have disappeared in the last 25 years. It is found on just a handful of sites in southern Britain and prefers sandy heathland and open coniferous woodland.

Both the adults and larvae need areas of warm, open, sandy ground for breeding and feeding. They are thought to have a two-year life cycle with overlapping generations, reproducing in late spring and early summer. The aggressive larvae are ambush predators that live in vertical burrows in sandy soil. They feed by snatching prey that passes by the entrance to their lairs.

The adult beetles are active in bright sunshine. One of our fastest insect species, they chase down smaller invertebrate prey and grab them with their large mandibles. They will also fly readily, although never far.

How to identify

The Heath Tiger Beetle is velvety brown in colour, with pale cream lightning flashes on the wing cases (elytra). It has large eyes and huge mandibles.

Heath Tiger Beetles in Surrey

The Heath Tiger Beetle is present on just a few sites in Surrey. The fragmentation and degradation of heathlands has resulted in large population declines, but we are working to restore its habitat and extend its range.

Statistics

Invertebrate

Length: Up to 18mm

Average lifespan: 2 years as a larva

When to see April to September

JonHawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Iconic wildlife species

Nightjar

Caprimulgus europaeus

Listen out for the distinctive ‘churring’ call of the nocturnal Nightjar at dusk on heathland sites.

Nightjars are steeped in folklore and in the past were also known as ‘Goatsuckers’, due to an ancient belief that they suckled from goats. Arriving here in April and May from their wintering grounds in Africa, they nest on the ground on heathland and clear-felled conifer woods. Nightjars lay up to two eggs, and usually have two broods during the breeding season. A nocturnal bird that feeds on moths, flies and beetles, Nightjars have a series of whisker-like feathers (called rictal bristles) around their beak. Scientists still aren’t sure of their exact function, but think they may play a sensory role that helps with foraging in low light levels. The male Nightjar also carries out a complex mating display at dusk, flying around females and wing-clapping, which also shows off their white wing and tail panels. They have a distinctive reeling song, which rises and falls in pitch, and is often performed from a prominent perch.

How to identify

The Nightjar has bark-like camouflaged plumage that helps it hide among the undergrowth during the day. Therefore, you are most likely to see a Nightjar silhouetted against the sky at dusk as it carries out its mating display in early summer. Adults have flat heads, a small bill with a surprisingly large gape, and big eyes. Males have white patches towards the end of their wings and at the end of their tails.

Nightjars in Surrey

Nightjars are found predominantly on our heathlands. Thanks to sensitive management of these sites, we are lucky to have a strong population of Nightjars in Surrey. As a ground nesting bird, it is vulnerable to disturbance during breeding season, particularly from free-ranging dogs.

Bird

Length: 26-28cm

Wingspan: 60cm

Average lifespan: 4 years

When to see April to September

Chris Lawrence

Iconic wildlife species

Small Blue

Cupido minimus

Our

smallest butterfly, the Small Blue is a scarce insect

of chalk grassland.

One of a handful of blue butterfly species in the UK, the Small Blue is mainly found in southern England and is on the wing from May to August.

The adult butterfly can be seen feeding on Common Bird’s-foottrefoil or Horseshoe Vetch on chalk grassland, but only where Kidney Vetch also grows - the sole foodplant of the caterpillars. Males set up territories in sheltered places and the females lay their eggs on the Kidney Vetch; the emerging caterpillars feed on the flowerheads.

The Small Blue lives in small colonies of up to 30 individuals. Both sexes can often be found in communal roosts in the late afternoon, facing head down in the grass. They spend much of the time basking or resting and can often be found in small groups of two or three.

How to identify

Despite its name, the small blue only has a small dusting of blue at the base of its wings. Otherwise it is a largely dark-grey butterfly with pale, silvery underwings.

Small Blues in Surrey

Thanks to recent conservation action, we are fortunate to have a recovering population of the Small Blue in Surrey.

We’ve planted Kidney Vetch on a number of sites to provide the necessary habitat for the Small Blue to breed, but ongoing habitat maintenance is also essential to protect their remaining strongholds and create the conditions for them to spread.

Statistics

Invertebrate

Wingspan: 1.8-2.7cm

Average lifespan: up to 3 months

When to see

May to July & in good years, again in August

Surrey’s nature

Smooth Snake

Coronella austriaca

The Smooth Snake is often found alongside the Sand Lizard, on which it preys.

Confined to sandy heaths in Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey, with reintroduced populations in West Sussex and Devon, the Smooth Snake is the UK’s rarest snake.

As with other reptiles, they are cold-blooded and their activity is totally dependent on the weather. As a result they spend much time basking in the sun during the day and hibernate during the winter months when it is too cold for them.

Smooth Snakes are incredibly secretive and are hardly ever seen basking out in the open. In spring, males compete to win females, that then incubate their eggs internally, giving birth to 4 to 15 young.

The Smooth Snake is a mini-constrictor. Not a python by any stretch, but being non-venomous, it physically squeezes its prey until it is too weak to struggle, before swallowing it whole. It preys on Sand Lizards, Slow Worms, insects, and young birds. Despite its superb camouflage, the Smooth Snake does have its own predators: birds such as Pheasants and Carrion Crows, Foxes, Badgers and Weasels - especially as juveniles.

How to identify

Similar in appearance to the Adder, the Smooth Snake can be identified by its more slender body, circular pupils and less-clear pattern on its back. It is usually grey or dark brown in colour. It also does not have a keel on its scales like other snakes.

Smooth Snakes in Surrey

Smooth Snakes are present on several Trust-managed sites, but the fragmentation and degradation of heathlands has resulted in large population declines.

Reptile

Length: 50-70cm

Average lifespan: up to 20 years

When to see April to October

Surrey’s nature

MikeWaite

White Helleborine

Cephalanthera damasonium

A native orchid of Beech woodlands, the White Helleborine can survive where it is too dark for other plants to thrive.

Although a typical plant of this habitat, this orchid is mainly restricted to the North Downs in Surrey. The dark green leaves absorb what limited light reaches the woodland floor beneath the Beech canopy, but the plant’s nutrition is also supplemented by nutrient absorption direct from the soil, assisted by specialised mycorrhizal fungi. It is possible to find individual, entirely white plants in extreme shade (leaves, stem and all), devoid of chlorophyll where they have reverted totally to this method of growth.

As a result of poor woodland management, climate change and illegal collection, the plant is now classified as Vulnerable on the Vascular Plant Red Data List for England.

How to identify

The White Helleborine resembles a miniature white tulip, with up to 15 flowers arranged along an upright, unbranched stem reaching 40cm high. Each flower is a complex arrangement of petals of varying shapes, the lower ‘lip’ providing a platform for pollinating insects to land.

Statistics

White Helleborine orchids in Surrey

As Beech woodland prefers chalky soils, the White Helleborine is mainly confined to the North Downs in Surrey and occurs in several of our woodland reserves.

Plant

Height: 15-40cm

Flowering period

June

Iconic wildlife species

Skylark

Alauda arvensis

The song of the Skylark has been the inspiration of many famous musical and literary works. It is a quintessential bird of our grassland habitats.

A bird of grassland and farmland in Surrey, male Skylarks may be observed rising almost vertically from the ground, hovering effortlessly and singing from a great height, before parachuting back down to earth.

Starting in earnest by early March, these long and complicated song-flights can last for up to an hour and the birds can reach 300m before descending. They’ll also sing from perches, such as fence posts or large rocks.

Despite their aerial accomplishments, Skylarks nest firmly on terra firma, laying three to four eggs. Chicks become independent after only two weeks and the parents can have up to four broods in a breeding season, which starts in April. Like other ground-nesting birds, Skylarks are also at greater risk of disturbance or predation, particularly from dogs and other domestic animals.

How to identify

If seen in song-flight, the Skylark is unmistakeable. Up close, it is a streaky brown bird with a small crest, and is larger and has a longer tail than the similar Woodlark (a rarer bird of heathland and woodland edges). It is also much larger than the similar Meadow Pipit, which has a thinner bill and no crest.

Skylarks in Surrey

The Skylark’s dramatic population declines in recent times have made it a Red-Listed species. It is most likely to be seen hovering over well-managed grassland sites such as Priest Hill and Pewley Meadows, where careful mowing regimes and conservation grazing help to maintain Skylark habitat.

Statistics

Bird

Length: 18cm

Wingspan: 33cm

Average lifespan: 2 years

When to see Year-round

Iconic wildlife species

Stag Beetle

The

Stag Beetle is the UK’s largest beetle and the Thames Valley is a local stronghold.

Stag Beetles prefer oak woodlands, but can be found in gardens, hedgerows, and parks. The larvae depend on old trees and rotting wood to live in and feed on, taking up to seven years to develop before they pupate and turn into adults.

The adult beetles have a much shorter lifespan. They emerge in May with the sole purpose of mating. Once the male has found a mate, he displays his famously massive, antler-like jaws to her, and uses them to fight off rival males, in a similar fashion to deer. The beetles then die in August once the female’s eggs have been laid in a suitable piece of decaying wood.

Adult Stag Beetles can’t eat solid food – they rely on the fat reserves built up whilst developing as a larva. However, it is still unclear whether either sex actually feeds during their short adult life; if they do, it is likely that they drink sap from trees and fallen fruit.

How to identify

With their antler-like jaws and reddish-brown bodies, male Stag Beetles are unmistakeable. Females have much smaller jaws and look similar to the Lesser Stag Beetle. When in flight (mainly at dusk), male Stag Beetles resemble mini-helicopters and clumsily crash-land into windowpanes and patios.

Stag Beetles in Surrey

Stag Beetles are rare and threatened throughout their European range, but the populations in the Thames Valley, which includes parts of Surrey, are some of the largest in the world.

The over-tidying of our parks and gardens has reduced the amount of dead and rotting wood crucial to Stag Beetle larvae, so it is important to leave unkept areas to help them thrive.

Statistics

Invertebrate

Length: 5.0-7.5cm

Average lifespan: up to 3 months

When to see May to August

Lucanus cervus

Surrey’s nature

Round-leaved Sundew

The carnivorous lifestyle of the Roundleaved Sundew makes this heathland plant a fascinating species.

The Round-leaved Sundew is a strange and beautiful plant that can be found sitting among soggy Sphagnum bog-mosses at the edges of bog pools on our wet heaths. It grows about 1cm tall and blooms in the summer months, displaying a spike of white flowers.

The acidic habitat of this tiny plant starves it of essential growth nutrients, so it has evolved a carnivorous way of life to supplement its diet. Hair-like tendrils on each reddish leaf are tipped with glistening droplets that attract passing insects. But this ‘dew’ is very sticky, snaring the insect; the Sundew’s tendrils detect the presence of its prey and curl inwards to engulf it. Eventually, the whole leaf wraps around the insect, which is then slowly digested.

How to identify

The green-red leaves are covered in red ‘hairs’ and are arranged at the base of the plant in a rosette. The flowers appear in summertime at the top of hairless, red stems. The Round-leaved Sundew can be distinguished from the related Oblong-leaved Sundew by the rounder shape of its leaves.

Round-leaved Sundew in Surrey

Round-leaved Sundew is a characteristic plant of wet areas on many of the heathland sites we manage. Look out for this unusual plant on reserves such as Chobham Common.

Management techniques such as conservation grazing help to maintain damp conditions by churning up the soil to create pockets for puddles to form.

Plant

Height: up to 20cm

Flowering period

June to August

Drosera rotundifolia

Surrey’s nature

Heathland

Surrey’s heathlands are of national importance for wildlife.

What is heathland?

Heathland usually occurs on sandy, free-draining soils, on land that does not have enough soil nutrients for farming crops. As ‘semi-natural’ habitats (created long ago), most heaths are thought to date from the Bronze Age.

The poor fertility of their soils and long history of low-impact, extractive management by man have kept heathlands largely open and unforested. Only those plants adapted to the acidic heathland soils such as heathers and gorse can flourish. Some plants resort to unusual means to gain enough nutrients, such as carnivorous sundews, while Lousewort parasitizes the roots of other plants. Wetter areas support a wider variety of

species, such as Cross-leaved Heath and a huge range of mosses, including the peat-building sphagna (bog-mosses).

Why is it important?

Much of the world’s remaining lowland heathland is found in the UK, with Surrey being a particular stronghold.

Reptiles such as the Sand Lizard and Smooth Snake are specialists of this habitat, but heathlands are also home to a huge range of invertebrates. Butterflies like the Silver-studded Blue and Grayling rely on the heathland ecosystem, whilst Raft Spiders skate across the pools found on wet heath, hunting for small invertebrates and tadpoles.

Dave Foker

Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Key habitats

A globally-rare habitat, much of the world’s remaining heathland is found in the UK

Birds such as the Nightjar, Woodlark and Stonechat build their nests on the heathland floor, and Dartford Warblers can be seen defending their territories from the tops of spiky gorse bushes.

Habitat management

If left to their own devices, heathlands eventually succeed back into woodland. The establishment of Scots Pine plantations for timber late in the last century has accelerated this process in Surrey, replacing much heathland.

Lowland heathland thus requires some kind of human intervention if it is to persist and, when effectively managed, heaths can support many rare species.

Traditional management activities such as grazing play a vital role in maintaining Surrey’s heathlands, and cattle are used to suppress dominant grasses and scrub. Able to reach areas inaccessible to vehicles, their trampling also creates boggy areas of bare ground.

During the winter months, our volunteers spend much time removing invasive birch and pine from the heathland. This is generally burnt on site. Not all trees are removed, as some are required as song-posts and for tree-nesting heathland birds.

Heathland sites

Whitmoor & Rickford Commons

Chobham Common

Wisley & Ockham Common

Brentmoor Heath

Rodborough Common Barossa

Key habitats

Chalk grassland is only found in northwest Europe, and a significant proportion of this is in southern England

Chalk Grassland

Much of the remaining chalk grassland in Surrey is found on the North Downs.

What is chalk grassland?

Traditionally grazed by sheep (for thousands of years in some cases), chalk grassland is characterised by well-drained, open soil, typically in a sunny position.

Chalk grassland is found mainly on the North Downs in Surrey, where the nutrient-poor soil provides the ideal conditions for a spectacular array of flora and fauna. This habitat can nurture as many as 40 plant species per square metre and supports more biodiversity than any other type of grassland in the country.

Wild Thyme, Dropwort, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Small Scabious, Kidney Vetch and Salad-burnet thrive on the limerich soils and are complemented by scarcer species such as wild orchids.

Scrub is typically present and includes lime-loving species such as Wayfaringtree, Wild Privet and Dogwood, in addition to Hawthorn and Blackthorn. The scrubby grassland margin supports species not found out on the open grassland, such as Common Calamint.

Why is it important?

Chalk grassland is only found in north-west Europe, and a significant proportion of this is in southern England. Once widespread in the UK, changes in agriculture resulted in many sites being ploughed, or no longer grazed. As a result, our remaining chalk grassland is mainly found on steep slopes which were impractical to farm, such as those found on the North Downs.

Surrey’s nature

Here, the mix of bare ground, short vegetation and longer tussocks, together with plenty of flowering plants is ideal for a range of insects, many of which are important pollinators. These include 35 of Britain’s 56 butterfly species, as well as Whitestriped and Rufous Grasshoppers.

Habitat management

Without traditional management, which mimics the practices of our ancestors, chalk grassland begins to revert to scrubland or woodland. If this happens, many of the rare and unique plant and insect species will disappear.

Many of our chalk grassland sites are grazed by crossbreed sheep to help maintain the short sward that’s ideal for the low-growing flora.

Their adept browsing also helps control scrub and bramble, creating open spaces for less dominant species and regulating nutrient levels.

We also selectively graze Belted Galloway cattle across these sites in the winter months to stunt scrub growth.

The actions of grazing is further reinforced by manual scrub removal using hand tools to keep Blackthorn and other woody plants at bay. This labour-intensive process is carried out by Trust conservation teams, supported by our hard-working volunteers.

Chalk grassland sites

Guy Edwardes/2020VISION

James Addler

Sheepleas Priest Hill Howell Hill Fames Rough Hackhurst Down Pewley Meadows Norbury Park Hill Park

Surrey’s nature

Wetlands

These places where water and dry land meet are home to a wide range of species.

What are wetlands?

Peat filled bogs act as a sponge, retaining rainwater that is gradually released through evaporation or natural streams. They also capture and store carbon, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The wet conditions are also ideal for acid-loving bog-mosses, cotton grasses, Cross-leaved Heath, Bog Asphodel and Deer-grass.

Reedbeds are found in the zone between water and land, and are home to many birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Drier areas - above the winter water level - may provide habitat for Harvest Mice, Water Voles and Otters.

Fertile lake waters are usually clouded with abundant planktonic algae, forming the basis of a rich foodweb comprised of invertebrates, which in turn support fish (such as Roach, Carp and Tench), and fish-eating birds like the Great-crested Grebe.

Rivers & waterways criss-cross the county and Surrey consists of multiple river catchments, including those of the Wey, Mole and Thames.

Otters are gradually returning to Surrey’s rivers, but the Water Vole is now thought to be locally extinct. Smaller watercourses including the Hoe Stream and Pipp Brook can also be found, as well as several rare chalk streams including the Tillingbourne and Hogsmill.

Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Jack Perks

Our county hosts three river catchments - the Thames, Wey and Mole

Ponds were once a familiar feature of many field corners, village greens and gardens. They are isolated water bodies, only fed by rainwater or groundwater. Ponds are an important breeding grounds for Frogs, toads and newt species.

Why are they important?

As well as providing a valuable habitat, peatlands are ‘carbon sinks’, storing carbon from the atmosphere. Wetlands are also vital to flood defence and water provision. They regulate the flow of rivers, reducing flooding after storms and maintaining flow in dry weather. Wetlands filter water too, improving the quality.

Habitat management

The pressures on our natural river systems are immense. The release of phosphate from sewage treatment, as well as pollution from agricultural land and road run-off, all reduce water quality and oxygen levels. Overabstraction is also a major issue.

The Trust carries out activities such as re-meandering rivers to slow water passage, narrowing waterways to reduce silt, and installing berms to provide spawning sites.

Volunteers test water quality and nutrient levels, particularly near sewage treatment works. Riverfly monitoring also helps measure aquatic invertebrate diversity, which is indicative of waterway health.

Thundry Meadows

Nutfield Marshes

Norbury Park

Papercourt Meadows

Hedgecourt

Vann Lake

Manor Farm

Key habitats

The UK is home to more than half the world’s population of Bluebells

Woodland

Surrey is England’s most wooded county, with woodland covering around a fifth of the county.

What is woodland?

Lowland mixed Oak and Ash woods are the archetypal woodland of the Surrey Hills. Growing on deep, fertile soils, English Oak, Ash, Hornbeam or Lime usually form the canopy, with a tall understorey of Hazel and Field Maple.

On acidic soils, carpets of Bluebells, Wild Garlic and Wood Anemone cover the woodland floor in spring, followed by Yellow Archangel.

Wet woodland (also known as ‘carr’) is found in low-lying areas and features trees such as willows, birches and Alder, that thrive in poorly drained or seasonally flooded soils. These often cover a ground layer of plants such as Royal Fern, Yellow Iris and Meadowsweet.

A quarter of woodlands in Surrey are recorded as ancient woodland, which have existed since at least 1600. These complex ecosystems take many hundreds, or even thousands of years to develop, and cannot be replaced once lost.

Why is it important?

The UK is home to more than half the world’s population of Bluebells.

Alongside these beautiful flowers, plants such as Lesser Celandine, Ramsons, Greater Stitchwort, Yellow Archangel and the Early-purple Orchid make an impressive floristic display.

Surrey’s woodlands also support a vast range of animal wildlife; from Hazel Dormice to Stag

Surrey’s nature

Beetles, Tawny Owls, Nightingales, three species of woodpecker and over a dozen bat species.

The UK’s woodlands are estimated to soak up around 21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. They also help to limit flooding, with wet woodland slowing the flow of water downstream. Woodland root systems also help prevent soil erosion, particularly in hilly areas where soil can be washed into streams and rivers.

Habitat management

As traditional woodland industries such as coppicing and charcoal making have declined, the abandonment or insensitive management of woodland has resulted in the loss of species-rich clearings, coppices and glades. This has hastened significant declines in many woodland species reliant on this former cyclical management, such as the Hazel Dormouse.

The Trust has reinstated traditional woodland management techniques to ensure that the species that

evolved alongside historic human practices and the regenerative actions of large herbivores, can persist.

Whilst tree planting is undertaken where necessary, it is not a simple solution to the loss and decline of our existing woodlands.

Woodland sites

Norbury Park

Cucknell’s Wood Crooksbury Hill

Fir Tree Copse

Vann Lake Nower Wood

The Forest Wallis Wood Oldland’s Copse Hedgecourt Hill Park Sheepleas

Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

Don Sutherland

Conservation grazing

For centuries grazing has played a crucial role in shaping some of our most precious habitats.

Cattle & sheep

The Trust has reinstated grazing on many of our heathland and chalk grassland reserves to help preserve these sites, and our black-and-white Belted Galloway cattle are now a familiar sight across much of the county.

Supported by a smaller herd of crossbreed sheep, they play an important role in suppressing dominant grasses and scrub that could otherwise smother the delicate mix of wildflowers and other flora that support a huge number of species.

Jon HawkinsSurrey Hills Photography

Able to easily traverse steep and boggy areas inaccessible to vehicles, these nimble-footed herbivores are much more effective than people or machinery at maintaining the right balance of vegetation, keeping habitats in tip-top condition and more resilient, without disturbing wildlife or churning up the landscape.

As an echo of the actions of the wild large herbivores that used to roam the landscape, these animals also help create bare ground that supports reptiles, insects and plants. Their dung also supports many invertebrates, and is a mini-ecosystem in its own right.

Species that benefit from conservation grazing include Nightjars, Dartford Warblers, Silver-studded Blue butterflies, Sand Lizards and a multitude of pollinating bees and beetles, as well as plants such as rare wild orchids.

The Trust is a pioneer in the practice of ‘Nofence’ grazing, which uses specialised GPS collars to monitor a herd’s location via a laptop, tablets or smartphone. This makes costly fencing unnecessary and enables herds to be moved to new grazing territory safely, quickly and easily.

Red Deer

Managed by the Trust on behalf of the MOD, Pirbright Ranges is a vast enclosed heathland site next to a live firing range and a rich wildlife habitat. Access is heavily restricted for safety reasons, which makes it challenging to manage the site with conventional techniques. The solution is to use Red Deer, a native species that is ideally suited to the habitats found on the ranges.

Although once widespread in Surrey, Red Deer are now mostly restricted to deer parks. On Pirbright Ranges they are used to suppress the quantity of pine, birch and gorse, as well as creating bare ground and wet areas through trampling and wallowing. As a result, Nightjar, Woodlark and Dartford Warbler populations are increasing.

We maintain a herd of around 160 animals, using special vehicles, remote controlled drones, and trail cameras to monitor their welfare.

Find out more at surreywildlifetrust.org/grazing

In basic terms, wildlife needs four things: food, water, shelter and breeding space

Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

Adam Cormack

Helping nature at home

With

some 16 million gardens in

the UK, they cover an area far greater than all our nature reserves put together.

The way we care for our gardens can make a big difference for wildlife. Many once-common species are declining in the UK, but if we manage our gardens with wildlife in mind, nature will find refuge.

Doing so is neither difficult or expensive and it doesn’t matter if you have metres or acres; you’ll still be making a difference.

In basic terms, wildlife needs four things: food, water, shelter and breeding space. By providing these elements you can create the conditions for many species.

Simple actions such as leaving a patch of long grass, growing flowers that bloom at different times of the year, adding a small container pond and leaving an untidy corner of leaves and twigs would fulfil many of the requirements for a range of species to thrive.

Get growing!

In this section, you’ll find easyto-follow guidance on helping some of our key garden wildlife species, so why not give wildlife gardening a go, and if you already are – check to see what’s missing!

Smaller spaces

Size isn’t everything! You’ll be surprised at how much you can do with a courtyard or even a balcony or window box.

Use what you have

Make imaginative use of walls, roofs and other structures.

Clever containers

Even the smallest of ‘ponds’ are valuable – old sinks and buckets can teem with wildlife.

Pots & window boxes

Plant containers with herbs like Lavenders and Wild Marjoram, or night-scented Stocks and tobacco plants for moths.

Gravel & gaps

Make a small gravel garden, or use gaps in paved areas.

Emma Robertshaw

Helping nature at home

JanetPackham

Caring for garden birds

Some garden bird species are becoming increasingly scarce, but you can help!

A feeder or table is an easy way to attract birds to your garden, especially during winter when food is harder to come by.

Hanging feeders

These types of feeder will attract a wide mix of birds including most species of tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Nuthatch and House Sparrows.

Fill them with a general seed mix that includes energy-rich sunflower seed or suet for Robins.

Niger-seed feeders are designed to hold tiny seeds that will attract Goldfinches and Siskins.

Peanuts are an ideal winter food. Provide in a mesh feeder as birds can choke on whole peanuts.

Fat balls are a winter food source and can be made from suet or lard mixed with seed. You can make your own by moulding them around string.

Live food & ground feeding

Some garden birds are primarily ground feeders and are best fed from a bird table. These include Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Robins and Dunnocks.

Plants & insects

Choose pollinator-friendly plants to attract insects for birds. Also include a mixture of berry or fruitbearing shrubs, or trees like Skimmia, Pyracantha, Hawthorn, Ivy, Crab-apple, Rowan, Holly and Wild Cherry.

Protecting birds

Avoid hanging feeders on garden fences or under trees, which are within easy reach of predators.

Keep your feeders filled to encourage return visits and remove uneaten food to prevent mould growth.

To reduce the spread of avian flu, clean your feeders regularly.

Wildlife gardening

Bringing back bees

Bees are facing significant threats from habitat loss, disease and pesticides.

Nectar & pollen-rich flowers

Include a range of flowering plants that bloom at different times of the year. Great choices include Borage, Cornflower, Sedum, sunflowers, Ivy, Aubretia, scabiouses, Hebe, winterflowering crocuses and hellebores.

Create

nesting sites

From Miners to Masons, different bee species choose a variety of places to set up home.

Provide long and short grass in your garden as both serve as potential nesting sites for different species of bee. You can now buy artificial bee homes, or you could try making your own.

Avoid pesticides

Avoid pesticides or fungicides in your garden. Instead, encourage natural predators. Log piles are great for beetles, as are compost bins.

Provide a water source

Create a wildlife pond or sink a pot into the ground. A bird bath with access for bees works just as well.

Types of Bumblebee

Bombus terrestris/ Bombus lucorum

These bees prefer short open flowers like White Clover and Comfrey. Both are holebiting nectar robbers.

Bombus hortorum

These bees have a long tongue so they can visit long-tubed flowers such as Honeysuckle, Delphiniums and Catmint.

Bombus lapidarius

A large bee, they like to land on flowers with ’platforms’ such as those in the daisy family, especially knapweeds.

Bombus pratorum

A small agile bee with a mediumlength tongue, it can visit upsidedown and drooping flowers such as Comfrey and Viper’s Bugloss.

Bombus pascuorum

These long-tongued bees visit a wide variety of flowers and are able to get nectar from long-tubed flowers like White Deadnettle.

Plants for pollinators

With wild habitats declining, our gardens are an important pollinator pitstop.

Know your soil

When planning a wildlife garden, it is important to know your soil type to ensure your plants thrive.

pH test

A simple way to find out if your soil is acid, alkaline or neutral can be carried out using a testing kit, which uses a colour indicator. Yelloworange indicates acid soil, green for neutral and dark green for alkaline. Most plants prefer a pH of 6.5 to 7.

Water retention

Clay and peat soils will become waterlogged in wet weather and sandy and chalk soils dry out in summer. Check which plants will be compatible with your soil type before purchasing.

What to plant

Grow plants with different flowering times for a year-round food source for pollinators.

Avoid plants with double flowers, such as double roses and camellias. These are not easily accessible to many insects and often lack nectar and pollen.

Plants by season

Spring (March to May)

Barberry (shrub), Cotoneaster (shrub), crocuses, Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’, wallflowers, crane’s-bills, Hebes, Honesty, Oregon Grape, native Primulas, Skimmia (shrub), Forget-me-nots.

Summer (June to Aug)

Yarrow, Hollyhock, Alliums, Angelica, poppies, Thrift, Borage, marigolds, Viper’s -bugloss, heathers, honeysuckles, knapweeds, Cornflower, Red Valerian, Cosmos, ice-plants, Sweet William, foxgloves, Common Teasel, echinacea, Blue Eryngo, Hemp Agrimony, fuchsias, sunflowers, jasmines, scabiouses, Ox-eye Daisy, Ragged Robin, Evening Primrose, Salvias, Lamb’s Ear, Verbenas.

Autumn (Sept to Nov)

Honeysuckles, crocuses, Ivy, Salvias, Japanese Anemone, Michaelmas Daisy.

Helping nature at home

Helping Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs have declined rapidly in the last 30 years.

Hedgehogs eat many pests, particularly beetles, and sometimes slugs. Insectrich lawns and flowerbeds make excellent feeding grounds, so a wildlife-friendly garden is a must.

Why don’t we see them now?

In 1950 the UK population was roughly 30 million, but fewer than one million Hedgehogs are now thought to be left. Their decline is a result of habitat loss, the over-management of parks and gardens, and the overuse of pesticides.

Do Hedgehogs visit my garden?

Look out for Hedgehog droppings: black in colour and consisting of bits of beetles and other insects, they are often found on the lawn and resemble a dark lumpy slug. Hedgehog mating is a noisy affair, if you hear huffing and snuffling coming from the garden at dusk, it may be courting Hedgehogs.

Sick or injured Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so if you spot one during the day, something is wrong and it probably needs help. If this is the case, please contact your nearest wildlife rescue centre.

Top tips

Hedgehog highways

Cut a 13cm x 13cm hole in the bottom of your garden fence to provide a corridor for Hedgehogs to move between gardens.

Home sweet home

Place a Hedgehog house in a quiet corner of your garden. Clear it out from March to early April (but not if a Hedgehog is in residence).

Cut out the chemicals

Use environmentally-friendly alternatives to garden pesticides.

Dinner time!

Create mini-habitats like log piles that will harbour invertebrate snacks. Hedgehogs also relish meatbased wet dog/cat food or biscuits (no fish). Place in a shallow dish alongside a bowl of fresh water.

JonHawkins-SurreyHill

Helping nature at home

The perfect pond

A pond is one of the best features for attracting wildlife to your garden.

Building a pond

Check for underground utilities such as gas or electricity before you begin digging. Avoid shade and trees - rotting leaves will reduce oxygen.

Mark out a shape with string and dig your pond. A good design is a kidney shape. Keep some soil and turf aside to edge the pond. It should ideally be at least 75cm deep in the centre to stop it completely freezing in winter.

Incorporate gently-sloping edges, shelves and ledges for access and an irregular shoreline with ‘bays’ around 35cm deep to provide areas for wildlife. Dig the hole 20cm deeper than the design to allow for the liner and a protective layer.

Create a trench around the edge of the pond to bury the edges of the liner and check that the lip of the pond is level all the way around.

A wildlife pond should ideally not have any pumps, filters or fountains, which will suck in the smaller creatures. Avoid goldfish, which will also eat the wildlife.

Lining your pond

Lay 15cm of sand, covered by a flexible butyl liner and optional overliner. Place the liners over the hole and position centrally.

Allow the pond to fill with rain water. When full, secure the liner in the trench with soil. Trim the liner and edge with the turf.

Liner size formula

Length = Greatest length of finished pool + twice the maximum depth.

Width = Greatest width of finished pool + twice the maximum depth.

Plants

Include oxygenating submerged plants like Curled Pondweed and Water Starwort, floating-leaved plants such as Broad-leaved Pondweed and Yellow Water-lily, tall emergent plants like Water Mint and Water Plantain, as well as marginal plants like Marsh Woundwort and Marsh Marigold.

Allow long vegetation to grow around the pond and leave a stack of logs and stones nearby for amphibians.

MarkHamblin/2020VISION

Pest or guest?

By using wildlifefriendly pest control measures you can achieve equilibrium in the garden.

Beneficial insects

For a successful wildlife garden, it is best to adopt a ‘live and let live’ philosophy, which means allowing a balance of ‘good and bad’ insects to exist for their mutual benefit.

Ladybirds and lacewings

Ladybirds are invaluable in the garden. Both adults and larvae feed on destructive pests like aphids, thrips, mealy bugs and mites. Lacewing and their larvae eat aphids, as well as mites, leafhoppers and scale insects.

Hoverflies

Hoverfly species mimic wasps, but are completely harmless and should be encouraged. The maggotlike larvae munch aphids by the dozen before emerging as adults.

Plants that attract hoverflies include: Poached-egg Plant, Michaelmas Daisy, Sedum spectabile and Candytuft, Angelica, Teasel and scabious species.

Wasps

Social wasps are of great use around the garden. Their grubs are fed almost entirely on caterpillars and other pest insects. Wasps are also valuable pollinators.

There are around 9000 species of solitary wasps in the UK. Many of these also feed their young on flies, aphids and caterpillars.

Woodlice

By eating decaying matter, woodlice help to recycle and retain nutrients in the soil. Encourage woodlice to your garden by building a log pile, compost bin or stone heap.

Shelter for predators

A log pile in a shady corner and a hibernaculum for reptiles and amphibians make ideal homes for toads, lizards, Slow Worms and Hedgehogs.

Pest deterrent plants

Leave a patch of Stinging Nettles. They attract Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma butterflies, and are also a magnet for snails, drawing them away from vegetables and flowers.

Other pest repellents include Tansy, marigolds, mints, catnips, Wormwood, Chives, Dill, Fennel, Rosemary, Oregano and Thyme.

Moths & bats

Night-scented flowers will attract moths to your garden, which are preyed on by bats.

Flower power

Planting flowers that release their scent in the evening is a great way of attracting moths to your garden, which will in turn attract bats to feed.

As with all plants, you’ll need to think about where best to locate them. Although they give off their scent at night, they still need the right conditions in the daytime. Also ensure you have a diverse range of plants, shrubs, grasses and flowers to provide foodplants for caterpillars.

Be messy

Don’t be too tidy! Leave areas of long grass and wild plants, and don’t clear up dead plant matter at the end of the year – caterpillars and pupae may overwinter there.

Make sure to avoid chemical control, this will kill beneficial insects and undo all your hard work!

What to plant

Night scented plants

Argentinian Vervain, Common Jasmine, Evening Primrose, Globe Artichoke, Hebe species, Honeysuckle, Miss Willmott’s Ghost.

Moth caterpillar food plants

Common Hawthorn, Common Nettle, Currants, Fuschia species, Wild Hop, Hazel, Holly, Ivy.

Top tip

Set up a home-made moth trap to see who visits your garden at night. All you need is a white sheet and a torch. Peg the sheet on your washing line, turn off nearby lights, switch on your torch, and wait patiently to see who flutters in.

Put up a bat box

This will help bats move into areas that have limited natural roosting spaces.

Fix your box at least three metres high in a sheltered, wind-free position, exposed to the sun for part of the day. Ensure that there is a clear flight path to the box.

In the roof eaves, on a wall, or fixed to a tree are all suitable sites to place a bat box.

Remember! All UK bats and their roosts are protected by law, which means it is illegal to harm or disturb them. Once up, a bat box cannot be opened legally without a licence.

Helping nature at home

How to compost

Instead of sending your waste to landfill, create your very own compost shelter for wildlife.

The benefits of composting your garden and kitchen waste are threefold. You’re reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, saving money on shop-bought compost and providing a habitat for a range of minibeasts - a food source for Hedgehogs, Slow Worms and other animals.

Super soil

In addition to saving you money, using your own compost will increase the organic content in your soil. This will boost fertility and help plants to build up resistance to disease and insect attacks, thus reducing the need to use chemical controls.

Using your compost will also improve the structure and health of your soil by increasing the numbers of worms in it.

What you need

All you need for a successful compost heap is waste, air and water! A heap covered with old carpet or plastic is just as effective as a bin. Try to pick a shady spot to keep things moist, and water any dry ingredients you may be adding.

Turning compost

Be careful when you turn your compost, especially in winter. There may be Slow Worms, Smooth Newts and even Hedgehogs inside!

What to compost

grass and dead leaves

fruit and vegetable scraps/peel plain cardboard (not glossy) prunings and dead plants

coffee grounds non-plastic tea bags pet droppings from any healthy veg-eating pets, including gerbils, rabbits, hamsters and birds pet bedding made from natural material or newspaper eggshells newspapers

What not to compost

cooked food

coal and coke ash

meat, fish and bones

cat litter, dog faeces, disposable nappies or human excrement glossy, foiled or coated paper diseased plants logs, branches and large stems

neruaL

rehtaeH

Visiting a site

We hope you enjoy your visit and spot some fantastic wildlife species

Vaughn Matthews

All you need to know to explore

Surrey’s countryside.

Getting there

In this section you’ll find information about the nature reserves we manage. Details include the site location, its size, designations, access details, and any restriction. Each reserve listing includes details on how to access the site. Due to their rural position, some reserves are not easily accessible by car or have limited parking, so please check this guide or our website before visiting.

Exploring a reserve

We hope you enjoy your visit and spot some fantastic wildlife species. To help us protect these special places, please keep to the paths, follow any guidance such as dog walking restrictions, pick up after your pets and take your litter home.

Find out more at surreywildlifetrust.org/visit

Please keep dogs under close control when visiting the sites we manage and follow these simple rules.

Nesting birds

Some seasonal restrictions apply at certain sites. To protect ground-nesting birds from disturbance, we ask that dogs be kept on a lead February to August where signs are present.

Dogs and livestock

Livestock graze many of our reserves. Please keep your dog close to you, in sight or on a lead on these sites. Never let them chase livestock. Avoid walking amongst cattle if you can. In the unlikely event they chase you and your dog, it is safer to let go of your dog’s lead.

Potential hazards

Poisonous plants, venomous reptiles (Adders) and diseasecarrying parasites (ticks), are all things that dog owners should be aware of when walking their pets in the countryside.

Please pick it up

As well as being a health hazard to other site users, dog faeces can have a negative impact on the local ecosystem. It can also cause serious disease in domestic livestock.

Jon HawkinsSurrey Hills Photography

Top sites for wildlife

Site Designations

Protecting places to save their wildlife has been at the heart of the Wildlife Trust movement for over 100 years.

Statutory Protected sites

Many of the sites we manage have ‘Statutory Protection’. This means they receive international or national protection in recognition of their biodiversity or geology.

Special Protection Area (SPA)

SPAs are areas of international importance for the breeding, feeding, wintering or the migration of bird species.

Special Area of Conservation (SAC)

SACs are sites that support internationally important habitats, and/or rare and vulnerable (non-bird) species.

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

SSSIs support habitats and/or species of national importance and represent our best sites for wildlife and geology.

National Nature Reserve (NNR)

Natural England manages NNRs on its own or jointly with others, and the remainder are managed by Approved Bodies. They protect some of our most important habitats, species and geology.

Local Nature Reserve (LNR)

District and county councils have powers to acquire, declare and manage LNRs. To qualify for LNR status, a site must be of importance for wildlife, geology, education or public enjoyment.

Non-statutory sites

Sites of Nature Conservation

Importance (SNCI)

SNCIs are sites identified at a local level for their conservation value and may support locally or nationally threatened wildlife. However, their protection relies on local government policy, which may differ by region.

Suitable Alternative Natural Green Spaces (SANG)

SANGs are countryside recreational sites, created to attract residents of new developments away from designated sites that are protected for their ecology and that are sensitive to activities such as dog walking. These sites present their own conservation opportunities.

Ancient Woodland

Ancient woodlands are subject to varying degrees of protection to manage and conserve them. Some sites have a statutory designation.

National Landscapes

Formally Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, there are 46 National Landscapes in the UK. These are places of national importance, protected for the nation’s benefit. They include the Surrey Hills National Landscape.

Visiting a site

Nower Wood

A private educational nature reserve featuring classrooms and acres of beautiful surroundings.

Whilst not open to the general public, Nower Wood hosts regular adult learning courses, holiday clubs, open days, and school visits.

Surrounded by ancient semi-natural woodland, the centre features three spacious indoor classrooms, an all-weather outdoor classroom, accessible dipping pond, raised minibeast habitats and an accessible woodland trail.

The predominant habitat is oak woodland, but the reserve also contains Hazel coppice, an area of chalk grassland, a small heathland glade, butterfly ride and three man-made ponds.

A number of bird species can be seen, including Sparrowhawks, Woodcocks, Marsh Tits, Treecreepers and Nuthatches. Adders and Grass Snakes are occasionally seen.

Address

Mill Way, Leatherhead, Surrey

Nearest postcode KT22 8QA

OS Map Reference TQ193546

What3Words counts.limit.loudly

Size

33 hectares

Parking

Visitor centre car park by appointment only

Accessibility

Wheelchair accessible trail and Changing Places toilet

When to visit January to December Guide & assistance

dogs only

Designations

SSSI

Landowner

Surrey Wildlife Trust

Visiting a site

Address

Stroud Lane, Shamley Green, Surrey

Nearest postcode GU5 0ST

OS Map Reference TQ 041 430

What3Words headset.unusually. shirtless

Size: 11 hectares

Parking

No car park - access on foot via Stroud Lane

Access

Not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility.

When to visit March to June

Designation

Ancient Woodland

Landowner

Surrey Wildlife Trust

Cucknell’s Wood

A quiet woodland known for its beautiful spring wildflowers.

At over 400 years old, this ancient semi-natural woodland is a rare haven for wildlife.

In spring the flora is spectacular, with Wood Sorrel, starry white clusters of Wild Garlic flowers and glorious carpets of Bluebells. As you wander among Oak, Ash, Alder, Birch, Rowan and Hazel trees, look out for species such as Golden Saxifrage in the wettest areas, Bog Stitchwort, and a single Wild Service tree. April sees the flowering of Earlypurple and Common Spotted-orchids, followed by yellow-green Twayblade in early summer.

Woodcock can be seen ‘roding’ above the treeline at dusk, whilst other birds include Treecreepers, Green and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Tawny Owls and Buzzards.

At the northern end of the wood you’ll find an open glade known as Snakes Alley. Here, many different butterfly species are attracted by the wealth of wildflowers.

Sheepleas

A mosaic of ancient woodland and chalk grassland.

One of the original 284 Rothschild Reserves, Sheepleas was once described as ‘the finest piece of botanical and entomological ground within 30 miles of London’. Today it hosts more than 30 species of butterfly, including the Silver-washed Fritillary and Purple Emperor.

As its name suggests, Sheepleas was used for grazing for hundreds of years. With the sheep long gone, trees have recolonised much of the site.

Address

East Horsley, Surrey

Nearest postcode KT24 6AP

OS Map Reference TQ090515

What3Words ruby.trials.radio

Size

110 hectares

Parking

Car parks off A246, Shere Road (KT24 6EP) & Green Dene (KT24 5TA)

Accessibility

Not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility

When to visit April to August

Designations

Ancient Woodland, National Landscape, LNR & SSSI

Landowner

Surrey County Council

Among the woodland are hidden areas of chalk grassland, including Surrey’s Coronation Meadow. These provide spectacular displays of wildflowers including a lovely display of Cowslips. 12 species of orchid have also been recorded, including Fly, Bird’s-nest, Greater Butterfly and Chalk-fragrant. However, July may be the best time of all as a glorious array of blues and yellows appear, belonging to species such as St. John’s-worts and Harebell, along with the pink of Wild Marjoram. Top places for wildlife

Top places for wildlife

Address

Reigate Road, Epsom, Surrey

Nearest postcode KT17 3BZ

OS Map Reference TQ230615

What3Words foster.risk.dull

Size

35ha

Parking

No car park - access on foot via Reigate Road and Banstead Road

Accessibility

Mobility kissing gates and some paved footpaths

Livestock

When to visit

April to October

Landowner

Surrey Wildlife Trust

Priest Hill

Restored chalk grassland with views of the London skyline.

Nature had reclaimed these former playing fields, with large areas of rough grassland, scrub and hedgerows having developed over the years. Whilst these habitats supported many species, without management the site’s diversity was declining, particularly within the grassland.

To create the reserve, over 1,500 tons of hardcore was removed from the site to clear the old tennis courts, buildings and car parks. The restoration of bare ground and chalk in these areas is now providing habitat for invertebrates, wildflowers, and many bird species.

Green hay cut from nearby Howell Hill was spread to introduce wildflower seed, including Kidney Vetch - the foodplant of the rare Small Blue butterfly, which is now thriving. Grazing is used to help control coarse grasses.

Three ponds were also created to provide wetland habitat and are developing nicely.

Visiting a site

Chobham Common

Lowland heath and a haven for birds, reptiles and insects.

One of the largest National Nature Reserves in South East England, Chobham Common is a wonderful example of lowland heath and covers a vast area of 574 hectares.

100 different bird species have been recorded here including the rare Dartford Warbler, Hobby and Nightjar. If flora is more your thing, you’ll find some 300 species of wildflowers. Sweeps of purple heathers and sweet-scented gorses dominate the heathland, while the wetlands harbour carnivorous Round-leaved Sundew.

If you come in mid-summer, you’re likely to find several species of orchids, and plentiful reptiles including the secretive Adder.

Chobham Common is also a nationally important site for insects, with many spider, ladybird, bee and wasp species present. 22 types of dragonfly live here, as well as 33 species of butterfly, including the rare Silver-studded Blue.

Address

Chobham, Surrey

Nearest postcode KT16 0ED

OS Map Reference SU974648

What3Words reds.worked.barn

Size

574 hectares

Parking

Served by six car parks, see website for details

Accessibility

Hard track from Longcross car park for suitable mobility vehicles in summer

Livestock

When to visit June to September

Designations

NNR, SSSI, SPA, SAC & LNR

Landowner

Surrey County Council

Visiting a site

Address

Leatherhead, Surrey

Nearest postcode

KT22 9DX

OS Map Reference

TQ 158 538

What3Words spell.lease.horses

Size

531 hectares

Parking

Car parks off A246 & Crabtree Lane

Accessibility

Not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility

Livestock

When to visit April to October

Designations

National Landscape, SSSI & SAC

Landowner

Surrey County Council

Norbury Park

A varied landscape of woodland, grassland, farmland and a river valley.

Norbury Park was auctioned in 1931 and the County Council bought the site to prevent it from being developed, the first intervention of its kind to protect countryside in England.

The Trust now manages the chalk grassland areas, which can sustain up to 40 species of flowering plants in one square metre, including rare Green Hound’s-tongue, and Bee and Fly Orchids, attracting a wide variety of insects.

The woodland areas are awash with bluebells and other wildflowers in spring, providing habitat for Dormice, Badgers, Firecrests and Marsh Tits. Veteran trees provide important roosts for bats and the Yew trees in Druid’s Grove may be up to 3,000 years old.

Three farms within the park encourage nesting Skylarks and the hedgerows support birds, mammals and invertebrates.

The River Mole also runs through the site and is home to Kingfishers.

Top places for wildlife

Brentmoor Heath

A heathland haven for reptiles and invertebrates.

This beautiful area of remnant heath near Woking was saved from development 30 years ago by a local resident and Trust volunteer.

The site is a haven for reptiles like Grass Snakes, Adders, Common Lizards and Slow Worms. Many invertebrates can also be found, including the rare Heath Tiger Beetle, which was reintroduced.

The reserve is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds – keep an eye out for colourful Stonechats and the lightning-fast Hobby. Spot a Dartford Warbler during the day and listen out for churring Nightjars at dusk.

Most surprising is the imposing metal barbed wire fence that borders Pirbright Ranges. This vast enclosed military owned heathland is closed to the public and grazed by a large herd of semi-wild Red Deer by the Trust.

On a quiet evening, walkers are rewarded by the sight of a bellowing stag on the distant ridges.

Address

Red Road, West End, Woking, Surrey

Nearest postcode GU24 9PY

OS Map Reference TQ044493

What3Words swear.bolt.launch

Size

59 hectares

Parking

Car Parks off Red Road

Accessibility

Not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility

Livestock

When to visit June to September

Designations

LNR, SSSI, SPA & SAC

Landowners

MOD, Surrey County Council, Surrey Heath Borough Council

Top places for wildlife

Address

Wisley, Surrey

OS Map Reference

TQ 080 590

What3Words game.ground.chips

Size

297 hectares

Parking

Boldermere Car Park KT11 1NR) Pond Car Park (KT11 1NR) & Wren’s Nest Car Park (GU23 6QA)

Accessibility

Not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility

Livestock

Best time to visit

May to September

Designations

SPA, NNR, SSSI & SAC

Landowner

Surrey County Council

Wisley & Ockham Commons

A vast expanse of wild heathland near Wisley Gardens.

Split into four by the Wisley Interchange, these sites cover an impressive 800 acres and are an important area of remnant heathland.

Despite its busy location, the reserve is a nationally important site for dragonflies and damselflies, with 20 species recorded around Boldermere Lake. It also attracts many rare birds, including the Nightjar and Hobby - one of the few birds that can catch dragonflies.

Take time to admire the Semaphore Tower on Chatley Heath. Once part of a chain which was used to pass messages between the Admiralty in Whitehall and the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, it is the only restored surviving tower in a line of signalling stations that once covered the entire route, and is now managed by the Landmark Trust.

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Visiting a site

Thundry Meadows

Beautiful water meadows by the River Wey in Elstead.

Visit Thundry Meadows and you’ll likely find a dozen docile Belted Galloway cattle munching by the River Wey, which runs through the reserve.

Among notable flora, the Devil’s Bit Scabious is an important late nectar source for insects. Veteran birches and Marsh Thistle attract invertebrates, which provide abundant food for birds. Reptiles including the Grass Snake and Common Lizard also use the reserve as a winter refuge.

The site features an Alder Carr scattered with Silver Birch. Here the wet ground is criss-crossed by ditches, originally dug as WWII tank defences and now fed by natural springs. An old pillbox has been turned into a bat hibernaculum.

A pond is home to amphibians, dragonflies and Greater Spearwort, and Thundry also features one of the few examples of quaking mire in Surrey. A mat of vegetation floating in liquid peat, it is home to species like Bog-bean, Ragged-robin, Marsh Cinquefoil, and even a population of Harvest Mice!

Address

Farnham Road, Elstead, Surrey

Nearest postcode GU8 6LE

OS Map Reference SU895441

What3Words rgoes.much.continued

Size

16 hectares

Parking

Limited parking in layby on Farnham Road

Accessibility

Not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility.

Livestock

When to visit April to August

Designation

SSSI

Landowner

Surrey Wildlife Trust

Visiting a reserve

Visiting a site

Address

Nutfield Marsh Road, Nutfield

OS Map Reference

TQ291513 & TQ 307524

What3Words laptop.minds.yarn

Size

62 hectares

Parking

Parking at Mercers Country Park, Nutfield Marsh Road, Merstham. RH1 4EU

Accessibility

Not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility

When to visit October to March

Designation

SNCI

Landowner

WBB Minerals

Nutfield Marshes

A complex of wetland reserves home to many bird species.

Restored from commercial sand workings, Nutfield Marshes includes the Trust managed sites of The Moors and Spynes Mere.

Situated along Redhill Brook, The Moors floods during winter, creating one large lake. A footpath transects the site, so when this happens it feels like you are walking on water! Mallard and teal flock to the site, whilst shy Water Rails creep through the waterside vegetation.

In summer the site is alive with damselflies and dragonflies. Around the water, Yellow Iris is followed by Purple Loosestrife and Meadowsweet. On the drier meadows, Cowslip, Birds-foot Trefoil and Oxeye Daisies attract bees and butterflies.

Spynes Mere contains three lakes, which flow into the Redhill Brook. Home to many waterbirds in winter, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mallard and Pochard can all be found. Also look out for Little Grebe chicks riding on the back of their parents in spring.

Thinesh Thirugnanasampanthar

Top places for wildlife

Pucks Oak Barn

A small peaceful reserve featuring an apple orchard and a restored barn.

Pucks Oak is part of a series of four small nature reserves between Compton and Binscombe, which include Farncombe Wood, Glebe Wood, and Hayden’s Copse.

In 1993, the McAlmont Trust purchased a derelict builder’s yard and ancient barn, with remnants of an historic orchard.

The cleared site was replanted with lovely old apple varieties and the barn restored and named after Kathleen McAlmont’s cottage.

The orchard puts on a beautiful display of blossom in the spring and wildflowers have been sown in the lush grass surrounding the small trees.

The Barn is available for hire for a variety of functions including parties and meetings. The building has an accessible toilet, kitchen and WiFi, with outdoor seating and access to the orchard.

Address

The Street, Compton Nearest postcode GU3 1EG

OS Map Reference SU956469

What3Words shops.allowable.funds

Size

4 hectares

Parking

Limited parking on site

Accessibility

Pucks Oak Barn wheelchair accessible. Reserves not suitable for those with limited mobility.

When to visit March to May Guide & assistance dogs only

Designation

Part-SNCI

Landowner

Surrey Wildlife Trust

No public access

Grazing animals present

Car park

Access restrictions

Military training area

Permit required

Guide & Assistance dogs only

What3Words reference

Landowner

Surrey Wildlife Trust

Surrey County Council

Ministry of Defence

Land Trust

Surrey Heath Borough Council

Windlesham United Charities

A1 Ash Ranges

SSSI SPA SAC • 1392ha

An extensive area of stunning open dry heathland. Between Normandy & Pirbright. SU936529. shuttle.informal.unpainted

NO ACCESS WHEN RED FLAGS FLYING

2 Ashtead Rye Meadows • 7ha

Wet meadows comprising mature trees, hedgerows, mixed scrub & ponds.

Access on foot via Bushey Shaw & Preston Grove, Ashtead, KT21 2HN, TQ172587 bags.spaces.insist

B3 Backside, Broadstreet, Rydes

Hill & Wood Street Commons

SNCI • 158ha

Semi-mature woodlands, acidic grassland & ponds. Access on foot from Oak Hill & Broad Street, Guildford. GU3 3BE, SU965507. fame.worked.tested

4 Barossa

SSSI SPA SAC • 498ha

A large area of open heathland scattered with woodland. Great for birds & reptiles. Access on foot via Kings Ride, Camberley. GU15 4NG, SU875621 joyously.take.digested

PUBLIC ACCESS GRANTED TO DRY TRAINING AREA (DTA) ONLY. RANGE DANGER AREA (RDA) CLOSED TO PUBLIC

5 Bay Pond

SSSI • 7ha

Our beautiful educational nature reserve featuring a wildlife garden, wildflower meadow, woodland & ponds.

LIMITED ACCESS BY PRIOR APPOINTMENT ONLY

6 Betchworth Quarry

SSSI SAC AONB • 27ha

A former quarry - rich in wild flowers. Access on foot by North Downs Way via The Coombe, Betchworth. RH3 7BU, TQ198511. last.hogs.keys

7 Bisley & West End Commons & Reidon Hill

SSSI LNR SPA SAC • 46ha

Lovely examples of Surrey heathland. Access on foot from roadside between Bisley & West End. Bisley Common: Shaftesbury Road, GU24 9EW (SU945593)

West End Common: Lucas Green Road, GU24 9YB (SU937595). Reidon Hill: Stafford Lake Road, U21 2FY (SU953582). beats.live.shin

All Trust managed sites

8 Blindley Heath

SSSI LNR • 26ha

Open grassland, woodland & ponds. Listen out for Nightingales. Access on foot via junction of Ray Lane & Tandridge Lane.RH7 6LJ, TQ367448. grass.pens.cracks

9 Brentmoor Heath & Folly Bog

SSSI LNR SPA SAC • 59ha

Heathland, woodland, grassland & ponds. A haven for reptiles & birds. Car park off Red Road, West End. GU24 9PY, SU936610. swear.bolt.launch

10 Brookwood Lye

SNCI • 22ha

A large area of rare, species-rich wet grassland. Access on foot via Brookwood Lye Road, Brookwood. GU24 0HB, SU963573. chins.traded.pint

C11 Chitty’s Common • 5ha

A green oasis in a suburban development. Part of the Worplesdon group of commons. Access from Keens Lane or Rydes Hill Road, Guildford. GU3 3HL, SU978522. unique.boats.bulb

12 Chobham Common

SSSI NNR SPA SAC • 574ha

One of the finest heathlands in Britain. Over 300 species of flowers. Rare heathland birds & insects. 6 car parks inc. Staple Hill, KT16 0ED & Fishpool, GU24 8HL, Chobham. SU974648. reds.worked.barn

13 Colekitchen Down

AONB SNCI • 3ha

Remnant unimproved chalk grassland with delicate ground flora. North of Gomshall.

14 Cucknell’s Wood

AONB Ancient Woodland • 11ha

A quiet woodland known for its beautiful display of spring flowers & autumn fungi. Access off Stroud Lane, Shamley Green. GU5 0ST, TQ041430. headset.unusually.shirtless

D15 Dawcombe

SSSI SAC AONB • 23ha

A private chalk grassland reserve with many species of orchid. Dorking, Surrey. NO PUBLIC ACCESS

E16 Eashing Fields

SANG • 12ha

An area of meadow & wildflower grassland, newly planted woodland, hedgerows and scrub. Car park on Eashing Lane, Milford GU8 5EP SU946429. having.motorist.hurt

17 Elstead Group of Commons

SSSI SPA AONB • 180ha

Stunning lowland heath & woodland with a variety of heathland species. Includes Bagmoor, Royal, Ockley & Elstead Commons. Between Elstead & Milford. Car park off B3001. GU8 6HX, SU926423. duty.searching.duos

All Trust managed sites

18 Fames Rough & Coneyboro Hill

SSSI SNCI LNR AONB • 22ha

An area of chalk grassland & ancient semi-natural woodland with over 240 recorded plant species. Parking on Holly Lane, Banstead. SM7 2BY, TQ265573. grass.chat.festivity

19 Farncombe Wood (McAlmont group of reserves) • 1ha

Ancient woodland consisting of Hazel coppice with oak standards. Access on foot via Huxley Close, Farncombe GU7 2AP, SU967455. look.dinner.forgot

20 Fir Tree Copse

SSSI • 6ha

A woodland reserve that is rich in wildlife & one of the best sites in Surrey for moths. Park in Sidney Wood car park off Dunsfold Road, Cranleigh. GU6 8HU, TQ023350. clearly.translated.vessel

21 Fraser Down

SSSI SAC AONB • 10ha

A private chalk grassland reserve of great floristic diversity. East of Dorking. NO PUBLIC ACCESS

G22 Gracious Pond

SSSI • 13ha

A private reserve with areas of heathland & wet woodland, which are a sanctuary for specialist heathland wildlife. Chobham, Surrey.

NO PUBLIC ACCESS

23 Graeme Hendrey Wood

SNCI • 10ha

A mixed deciduous woodland located in an old sand quarry on the Lower Greensand ridge. Rich in ground flora. Use Tilburstow Hill car park on Staple Hill Road, Godstone. RH1 4NB, TQ346501. drums.above.origin

H24 Hackhurst Downs

SSSI LNR AONB • 40ha

A high area of open grassland on the North Downs with an abundance of chalk grassland flora & fauna, plus marvellous views of the high Weald. Access on foot via North Downs Way or Gomshall station. GU5 9NU, TQ095486. charmingly.format.oven

25 Hedgecourt

SSSI • 5ha

Mixed woodland & wetland adjoining an ancient mill pond near Felbridge. Home to a variety of wetland flora & fauna. Limited parking in lay-by on A264. RH19 2QG, TQ351402. gaps.rash.papers

26 Hill Park

SNCI LNR AONB • 24ha

Secondary woodland & flora rich chalk grassland with rare orchid species. Access via Chestnut Avenue off B2024, Tatsfield. TN16 2EJ, TQ423559. handed.gravy.gangs

Horsley Meadows

SANG • 25ha

A large area of grassland, hedgerows, trees & wildflower meadow. Car park on Long Reach, West Horsley. KT24 6LZ, TQ079545. ready.hooked.trendy

28 Howell Hill

SNCI • 5ha

Chalk grassland near Sutton. Rare orchids & over 20 butterfly species. Access from footpaths off Cuddington Way & Northey Avenue. SM2 7JA, TQ238618. dawn.jumpy.rounds

K29 Kitchen Copse

SNCI AONB • 7ha

Semi-natural woodland with oak, Ash, Hazel & Hornbeam coppice stools. North of Bletchingley. NO PUBLIC ACCESS

L30 Little Heath Meadow

SANG • 2ha

An area of wet grassland & ditches with a small pond. Access on foot via Burr Hill Lane, Chobham. GU24 8BF. SU976626. foil.lunch.towns

31 Littlefield Common • 17ha

One of the Worplesdon Group of Commons, a mixture of oak & Silver Birch woodland, open glades & a restored pond. Access from the A323 Aldershot Road south of Merrist Wood College, Guildford. GU3 3HF, SU960526. remarking.fixtures.scare

M32 Manor Farm 25ha

Restored farmland by the River Wey featuring a wet meadow, unimproved grassland & mature hedgerows. Access on foot via Mill Lane, Byfleet. KT14 7RP, TQ068600. rising.beside.notice

33 Middlebriars Wood • 1ha

A small secluded woodland reserve in a residential area of Hurtmore. Access on foot from Priorsfield Road, Hurtmore. GU7 2RG, SU953457. alone.intervene.sketch

N34 Newdigate Brickworks

SNCI • 24ha

Former brickworks with six water bodies & semi-natural woodland. Car park off Mulberry Place, Newdigate. RH5 5DN, TQ205427. neck.scores.finishing

35 Norbury Park

SSSI SAC AONB • 531ha

The Trust managed grasslands are excellent for birds, butterflies & orchids. Young Street & Fetcham car park (KT22 9BS) off A246 & Crabtree Lane Car park, RH5 6BQ. TQ158538. spell.lease.horses

36 Nower Wood Educational Nature Reserve

SNCI • 33ha

Education centre near Leatherhead. Open to schools, adult learners & for special events. Car park of Mill May, Leatherhead. KT22 8QA. TQ193546 counts.limit.loudly

ACCESS BY PRIOR APPOINTMENT

37 Nutfield Marshes - The Moors

SNCI • 21ha

Part of a large wetland complex, The Moors is situated along Redhill Brook and is home to many types of waterfowl. Parking at Mercers Country Park, Nutfield Marsh Road, Merstham. RH1 4EU, TQ291513 & TQ307524. laptop.minds.yarn

O38 Oldland’s Copse

SANG • 17ha

Restored agricultural land & semi natural ancient woodland featuring wildflower meadows, grasslands & pond with a 2.3km circular walk. Car Park on Tithebarns Lane, West Clandon. GU23 7LE. TQ 044 543. year.gallons.camps

P39 Papercourt Marshes

SSSI • 10ha

Open water, reedbeds, willow carr & grassland. Great for bird watching. Observable from footpaths along the site boundaries. North of Send. GU23 6DT, TQ034562. NO PUBLIC ACCESS

40 Papercourt Meadows

SSSI • 19ha

A wet meadow next to the River Wey in Send supporting rare plants & birds. If you are lucky you may spot hunting owls at dusk. Access via the River Wey navigation or Papercourt Lock bridge. GU23 7ES, TQ031568. take.grain.pound

41 Pewley Meadows

SNCI • 15ha

A chalk grassland meadow with stunning views. Access on foot via Pewley Way or Pewley Downs Nature Reserve. GU1 3JY, TQ 00991 49195. woods.sprint.nation

42 Pirbright Ranges

SSSI SPA SAC • 1097ha

Enclosed military site near Pirbright. Rich in heathland wildlife. Grazed with Red Deer. LIVE FIRING RANGE, NO PUBLIC ACCESS

43 Poors Allotments

SSSI SPA • 76ha

Lowland heath & acid grassland supporting Silver-studded Blue butterflies & Dartford Warblers. Access off Bracknell Road, Camberley. GU15 4BE, SU888631. riverside.debater.look

44 Priest Hill

SNCI • 35ha

Former playing fields developed into beautiful chalk meadows. Home to the Small Blue butterfly, Skylarks & grazing cattle. Access off Reigate Road or Banstead Road, Ewell. KT17 3BZ, TQ229615. foster.risk.dull

All Trust managed sites

45 Pucks Oak Barn & McAlmont Reserves

Part-SNCI • 4ha

A small collection of reserves including a beautiful restored orchard & barn (available for hire) & ancient woodland. Parking at Pucks Oak Barn, Compton. GU3 1EG, SU956469. shops.allowable.funds

Q46 Quarry Hangers & Park Ham

SSSI AONB • 11ha

Species rich chalk grassland on the North Downs. Wide array of orchids. Access via bridleway off Spring Bottom Lane, Bletchingley. RH1 4QZ, TQ319536. vent.drip.final

R47 Rodborough Common

SNCI LNR AONB • 62ha

A large heathland with areas of woodland & grassland. Great for birds, butterflies & reptiles. Car park off Portsmouth Road (A3100/A283), Milford. GU8 5BJ, SU934415. february.mere.degrading

48 Runfold Wood • 12ha

A regenerating woodland with rare invertebrates & fungi. Access on foot via Crooksbury Road or Compton Way, Runfold. GU10 1QB, SU869468. faded.jazz.jolly

S49 Seale Chalk Pit & Meadow

SSSI • 3ha

A private nature reserve, this hidden gem on the Hogs Back contains fascinating geology & rare flowers. North of Seale.

NO PUBLIC ACCESS

50 Seccombe’s Wood

AONB • 2ha

A mixed woodland with a range of wildflowers during spring. Shamley Green.

NO PUBLIC ACCESS

51 Sheepleas

SSSI LNR AONB • 103ha

A mosaic of ancient woodland & chalk grassland with beautiful wildflowers. Car park off A246 by St Mary’s Church (KT24 6AP), Shere Road (KT24 6EP) & Green Dene (KT24 5TA) East Horsley. TQ090515. ruby.trials.radio

52 Stringer’s Common

SNCI • 30ha

Part of the Worplesdon Group of Commons. A mixture of woodland & open grassland. Car park off Salt Box Road, Guildford. GU4 7PX, SU990530. poster.exit.flesh

53 Swallow Pond • 1ha

A small pond in Pirbright, managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust on behalf of Surrey County Council. SU 94648 55435. pinches.carpeted.culminate

Visiting a site All Trust managed sites

T54 The Forest • 27ha

A mixed woodland with an impressive diversity of plants. Access on foot via The Drift, East Horsley. KT24 5HD, TQ095552. opens.page.pops

55 Thorpe Hay Meadow

SSSI • 6ha

A large meadow & last surviving area of unimproved grassland on Thames Gravel in Surrey. Access on foot via Devil’s Lane, Huntingfield Way, Egham. TW20 8DU, TQ030700. sculpture.active.name

56 Thundry Meadows

SSSI AONB • 16ha

A grazed water meadow & diverse wetland habitat. Limited parking in lay-by on Farnham Road. GU8 6LE, SU895441. goes.much.continued

U57 Underdown • 0.16ha

A small area of acid grassland & remnant heath on greensand that supports a range of invertebrates. Off Sandrock Hill Road in Farnham. GU10 4NR, SU832444. geology.ranges.whizzing

V58 Vann Lake & Candy’s Copse (inc. The Birches & Dale’s Copse) SSSI • 11ha

A fine example of ancient woodland on Weald clay surrounding a large lake. Many rare fungi species. Access on foot at the end of Vann Lake Road, Ockley. RH5 5NT, TQ157394. forgiven.clumped.whistling

W59 Wallis Wood • 14ha

A secluded woodland in the heart of the Surrey Hills. Access on foot via Horsham Road, north of Walliswood Village. RH5 5PL, TQ121389. aims.richest.poetry

60 Whitmoor, Rickford & Stringers Commons

SSSI LNR SPA • 183ha

Part of the Worplesdon group of Commons. A large heathland site with woodlands & ponds. Car parks on Saltbox Road, Guildford. GU3 3LH, SU982529. game.ground.chips

61 Wisley & Ockham Commons & Chatley Heath

SSSI LNR SPA • 297ha

Large heathland & nationally important sites for dragonflies, damselflies & rare heathland birds. Access via Boldermere car park (KT11

Contact information

Surrey County Council sites

Public access and visitor services on SCC sites

Surrey County Council manages public access on their estate, including access to public footpaths, car parks, bins, litter, dog fouling and issues of fly tipping and unauthorised access.

Surrey Wildlife Trust’s role on Surrey County Council owned sites is the management of the biodiversity of the natural habitat and wildlife species. Our responsibilities cover conservation and grazing only.

For queries on visitor services or public access, please call 03456 009 009 or email countryside.estate@surreycc.gov.uk

Conservation grazing on SCC sites

For queries on conservation work or grazing, please call Surrey Wildlife Trust on 01483 910087 or email countryside@surreywt.org.uk

Surrey Wildlife Trust Livestock Emergencies only – 07817 769672

Surrey Wildlife Trust owned or managed sites

Public access and conservation

For queries on access or conservation on Surrey Wildlife Trust reserves, please call 01483 910087 or email countryside@surreywt.org.uk

Please call our emergency grazing number on 07817 769672 in emergencies only

Trust managed reserve

Surrey Hills National Landscape

Urban area

Trust managed farm

Despite its proximity to the capital and dense population areas, Surrey boasts some of England’s most spectacular countryside, internationally rare habitats and unique wildlife.

Surrey is home to a unique mix of landscapes. From the lowland heath of the Thames Basin to the chalk downland of the North Downs, our county’s habitats are rich and diverse. But looks can be deceptive. Surrey also has one of the fastestdeclining wildlife populations of any county in England. A third of our species are at risk of extinction or extinct already, making the work of Surrey Wildlife Trust more important now than ever before.

This guide will help you discover Surrey’s wildlife and wild landscapes, while learning more about our work and how you can help nature at home.