Stanmore Common Nature Trail
Return trail post 7: Turn left uphill for the final stretch back to the car park. Many of the plants found on this stretch are indicators of high nutrient levels such as greater plantain Plantago major, creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens, stingling nettle Urtica dioica and the tough wiry perennial rye grass Lolium perenne with its double row of oval florets going up the stem.

The high nutrients come primarily from dog waste. The delicate wild flowers seen elsewhere on the Common would be crowded out by these ranker plants if nutrient levels rose; this is another reason, in addition to considerations of public health and unsightliness, why dog waste must be bagged and placed in waste bins or removed from the site.

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.