Districts:
South Oxfordshire Parishes
Nuffield
The following wildlife habitats fall within this parish. They are listed according to their associated landscape type or local character area.
If you want more information about any of the sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) listed below, take a look at English Nature's Nature on the Map website. It may also be possible to find out a bit more about the unnamed wildlife habitats in the parish by contacting the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (owls@oxfordshire.gov.uk) and quoting the site code next to the habitat description.
The majority of these wildlife habitats are on private land and access to them is not possible without permission of the landowner, unless there is a statutory right of way. However, many wildlife habitats in the county are open to the public. More information on these can be obtained from the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum.
Wildlife Habitats
Wooded Farmland
Site Code: 68T05
Area: 46.5 ha
This site has long been used a golf course and retains good areas of habitat in the roughs and at the edges. The soils vary from acidic to calcareous which means there is a wide range of habitats including chalk grassland, acid grassland with remnants of heathland, neutral grassland and also beech and oak woodland. All these habitats are national priorities for nature conservation. There are also two seasonal ponds.
The chalk grassland is found mainly near the northern edge of the site. Wildflowers that can be seen here include pyramidal orchid and clustered bellflower. The small native conifer juniper, a national nature conservation priority which is now a very uncommon feature of chalk grassland, is also present. The acid grassland and heathy areas have some heather along with foxglove, bracken, tormentil, gorse, heath bedstraw, sheep’s sorrel and heath speedwell. Acid grassland and heath is particularly rare in Oxfordshire. Wildflowers that can be seen in the more neutral grassland areas include cowslip, harebell, and lady’s bedstraw.
The woodland is not thought to be ancient woodland but it has a semi-natural appearance with native trees and shrubs and a rich ground flora of woodland wildflowers. It has a tree canopy of beech and oak with holly and hazel in the shrub layer. On the ground bluebells, dog’s mercury, wood anemone, primrose and sanicle can be seen.