Stanmore Common Nature Trail
Return trail post 1: The area to the left of the path you will follow is New Scrape. Here in the winter of 2012-2013 the secondary woodland was not only cleared of trees but the leaf litter and forest soil was scraped away to leave the bare Stanmore Gravel. By doing this we allow the growth of acid grassland and heathland plants that thrive in nutrient poor quick draining soil.

The path beside New Scrape is edged with lovely grasses. Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus you can identify by the soft white downy hairs all down the stem, creeping soft grass Holcus mollis by the hairy “knees” or swellings at the nodes (the places on the stem where leaves emerge) and wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexousa by its very tall tussocks bearing blazing red flower spikes or panicles.

From late spring to late summer look for the yellow flowers of hawkweeds Crepis spp., relatives of dandelions. Hawkweeds are very important nectar sources since each flower head bears up to 50 individual florets and each has a nectar gland.

To your right are tall conifers. The one with fine reddish scaled bark is Scots pine Pinus sylvestris and the dark green thin needle leaved tree with thick vertical bark cracks is larch Larix decidua.

To description for return trail post 2

More on some of the birds you are likely to see or hear on the Common

More on the three species of deer on the Common and their tracks

Click here to learn more about the Harrow Nature Conservation Forum including guided walks and conservation workdays.