Autumn on the Steyning Downland Scheme

‘Devil’s bit scabious’, and ‘squinancywort’ are two of the wonderfully named flowers that grow on the Rifle Range and around the Horseshoe.

There are 40-50 types of plant to find in every square metre of ancient chalk grassland - which is as rich as the tropical rain forest, and rarer! Sadly, Steyning’s rather degraded grassland cannot boast this variety - but with good management, it can return to its former glory. The Sussex cattle grazing there throughout the winter remove the thick tor grass, allowing the grassland plants to thrive. They’re very placid - do feel free to go and say hello.

The SDS Ranger Group and the Grammar School Conservation Group have been hard at work preparing the area for the cattle, making sure the pathway is clear for those who want to walk outside of the field, and mending the fences. Over the winter, they will be continuing clearing work at Steyning Coombe, ready for spring grazing, now possible with the new water supply. The scrub on the Rifle Range will be thinned out into separate shrubs again - allowing more habitat for Downland butterflies – and we’ll continue to look after the various pathways for the many walkers there.

If you would like to support us by becoming a Friend of the Steyning Downland Scheme, entering the photo competition, or joining one of the conservation groups please make contact: bryony@wistonestate.co.uk or 01903 812129.

For more information see our website:www.steyningdownland.org

Photo Competition:
Do you love getting out & about in the countryside, are you a wildlife enthusiast, have you got a camera? Well, if so, don’t forget your camera when you venture out on the beautiful Steyning Downland Scheme site and you’ll find plenty to photograph.

The theme for this competition is “The Four Seasons” and the only stipulation is that the photos must be taken on the SDS site as defined the map on the SDS website.

We are looking for images that convey the beauty of the site, and your experiences there, in all four seasons, from landscapes to close-ups & macro shots.

The closing date for entries is Monday 13th August 2012 so there’s plenty of time to get pictures of autumn, winter, spring & summer. Rules and technical details for submission can be found on our website.

The winning images will be displayed on our website, and the four overall winners will receive Amazon vouchers as prizes, and we will be using photos from the competition in a range of notecards we will be producing in 2012.

There are two age groups, under 16 & 16 plus. For more information see www.steyningdownland.org

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