Toyd Down and Quarry

Also within

Hampshire County Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Mining / Industrial: Quarry · Rock Type: Chalk

Description

Area 184 Hectares Description Toyd Down lies at the extreme east of the Dorset Downs on the Hampshire Wiltshire border. The Site of Special Scientific interest falls into two distinct parts, 1. A steep west facing downland slope, grazed by sheep and heavily dominated by upright brome Bromus erectus. The sward comprises species rich downland of the South Wiltshire type, with notable quantities of dwarf sedge Carex humilis, chalk milkwort Polygala calcarea, horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa, devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis, field fleawort Senecio integrifolius and autumn gentian Gentianella amarella. A good range of old chalk turf pants is represented. 2. An abandoned chalk quarry believed to have been last worked around 1970. The contrast between the old and "new" grassland is of great interest, providing a good site for the study of colonisation of bare chalk next to well established, species rich downland. The vegetation of the two parts is noticeably different. In contrast to the closed sward of the old established turf, that of the quarry floor is very open, with much space between individual plants still to be colonised. Among the more abundant flowering plant species to have become established in the 15 year old sword are basil thyme Acinos arvensis, carline thistle Carlina vulgaris, mouse ear hawkweed Pilosella officinarum, both chalk and common milkworts Polygala calcarea and P. vulgaris, thyme Thymus praecox quaking grass Briza media, kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, fern grass grass Catapodium rigidum and blue fleabane Erigeronacer. Among the other early colonisers is the knapweed broomrape Orobanche elatior, hairy rock cress Arabis hirsuta, autumn gentian Gentianella amarella and squinancywort Asperula cynanchica. Toyd Quarry has a considerable and developing entomological interest, notably butterflies. It supports one of the strongest Hampshire colonies of the small blue Cupido minimus and an important relic population of the grayling Hipparchia semele in its “chalk form”. This species is now very rare on inland chalk grassland and is known from only one other such site in Hampshire. Both Down and Quarry support colonies of the chalkhill blue Polyommatus coridon and Essex skipper thymellicus 1ineola.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.