Stanmore Common Nature Trail
Return trail post 2: In June through September this is a good place to look for the pretty yellow flowers of tormentil Potentilla erecta growing at the base of the bracken and other plants. Tormentil is a characteristic plant of acid grassland. Like cinquefoil and strawberry it is a member of the rose family, but unlike its relatives its flowers have four, not five, petals.


Image: Tormentil by Steve Bolsover
The trail descends though Bluebell Heath, passing to the left of a bench - but this is a good spot to rest for a while. Butterflies abound here: red admiral, small tortoiseshell, comma, peacock, meadow brown, speckled wood and ringlet can all be seen along with the small, Essex and large skippers.

Look up from the bench to the left of the path you came on for an ancient wild apple tree that is covered in blossom in April and May. We are working to propagate it from seed and to clone the existing tree by layering.

To description for return trail post 3

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.