Dancersend

Also within

Buckinghamshire County Chilterns Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coppiced woodland, Mixed scrub, Montane scrub

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk

Description

Area, 81.3 hectares 200.9 ac Description Dancersend SSSI lies in a secluded fold of the scarp of the Buckinghamshire Chilterns some two kilometres from the Hertfordshire border. It encompasses unimproved chalk grassland, scrub, coppiced and regenerating woodland and plantations. Much of the area has long been known for its substantial ecological interest through the work of two generations of the Rothschild family of Tring, whose initiatives led to the declaration, as Dancersend Nature Reserve, of Round Spring, Bittams Wood and the intervening glade by the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves forerunner of the present R S N C, as well as to detailed recording and experimental work. The grasslands consist of communities dominated by either upright brome Bromus erectus, wood false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum or tall oat grass Arrhenatherum elatius, as well as shorter swards of sheep's fescue Festuca ovina, all with an exceptionally rich associated flora including, in and around the experimental plots and exclosures, quaking grass Briza media, glaucous and spring sedges Carex flacca and Carex caryophyllea, cowslip Primula veris, germander speedwell Veronica chamaedrys, larger wild thyme Thymus pulegioides, common rock rose Helianthemum nummularium, hairy violet Viola hirta, wild basil Clinopodium vulgare, marjoram Origanum vulgare, common milkwort Polygala vulgaris, salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, eyebright Euphrasia nemorosa, valerian Valeriana officinalis, yellow wort Blackstonia perfoliata, common centaury Centaurium erythraea, Chiltern gentian Gentianella germanica, common spotted, pyramidal and bee orchids Dactylorhiza fuchsii, Anacamptis pyramidalis and Ophrys apifera and adder's tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum. The abundance of some of these in the grassland is reminiscent of swards reclaimed from woodland and scrub and this is further enhanced by wild strawberry Fragaria vesca, bugle Ajuga reptans, common St John's wort Hypericum perforatum, twayblade Neottia ovata, greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha, lady’s mantle Alchemilla xanthochlora and primrose Primula vulgaris, the latter sometimes hybridising with cowslips to produce false oxlips. Meadow clary Salvia pratensis was introduced experimentally from another Chiltern locality, but has since reappeared spontaneously. Additional grassland species found on Coombe Hill include squinancywort Asperula cynanchica, small scabious Scabiosa columbaria, horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa, clustered bellflower Campanula glomerata and felwort Gentianella amarella as well as suspected hybrids between the latter and G. germanica. The pocket of grassland south of Bittams Wood contains hairy rock cress Arabis hirsuta. Scrub encroachment into the grassland areas, especially by dogwood Cornus sanguinea, has been a recurrent problem on which much of the experimental work continues to focus. Nevertheless, this invasive shrub is an attractive and important feature in its own right, whether in clumps and thickets or as a component of the woodland edge and canopy. Other scrub species include hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, privet, elder, wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana, guelder rose Viburnum opulus, old man's beard Clematis vitalba and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum; among the briars e.g. Rosa arvensis and brambles Rubus fruticosus an interesting feature is the dewberry Rubus caesius. The woodlands are represented by relatively few mature stands most were felled during the 1940s and although beechof various ages, including both coppiced and large specimen trees, is present, ash is the dominant species, occurring as both regenerating coppice and single stem saplings and poles, accompanied by various combinations of field maple, hazel some coppiced, birch Betula pendula and Betula pubescens, sycamore, wild cherry, whitebeam Sorbus aria, horse chestnut, holly and goat willow Salix caprea, as well as all the scrub species noted in the previous paragraph. rowan, oak and occasional aspen mark the more acid soils of the higher slopes. There are mixed plantations of beech both with European larch and with Norway spruce as well as a small area of Douglas fir. Despite the extensive wartime felling, all these woodlands, including the plantations, display an outstandingly rich ground flora. Parts are carpeted with dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis or, on the more acid soils, bluebells Hyacinthoides non-scripta, but a large number of plant species associated with ancient woodland have been recorded. These include hairy brome Bromus ramosa, wood melick Melica uniflora, wood millet Milium effusum and wood meadow grass Poa nemoralis, wood sedge Carex sylvatica, hairy wood rush Luzula pilosa, woodruff Galium odoratum, sanicle Sanicula europaea, nettle leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium, wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides and yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, as well as the local wood barley Hordelymus europaeus, spurge laurel Daphne laureola, stinking iris Iris foetidissima, yellow bird's nest Hypopitys monotropa, fly and bird's nest orchids Ophrys insectifera and Neottia nidus-avis, white and narrow lipped helleborines Cephalanthera damasonium and Epipactis leptochila, stinking hellebore Helleborus foetidus, lily of the valley Convallaria majalis and Solomon's seal Polygonatum multiflorum; wood vetch Vicia sylvatica occurs in its only Buckinghamshire locality. Among the fungi an interesting rarity is the earth star Geastrum rufescens. Dancersend is an important site for Lepidoptera, for which it has been well recorded. The twenty five butterfly species include Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina, green hairstreak Callophrys rubi, brown argus Aricia agestis and dark green fritillary Argynnis aglaja. Local moths are maple and scarce prominents Ptilodon cucullina and Odontosia carmelita, dotted rustic Rhyacia simulans, cloaked carpet Euphyia ochreata and the celebrated Tring burnet a variety of the five spot Zygaena trifolii, known only from this site. Fifty seven species of bug Homoptera were recorded in 1978. Glow worms Lampyris noctiluca have been recorded between Round Spring and Coombe Hill. The varied aspects and habitats of Dancersend sustain a diverse population of breeding birds. Among the mammals the very local edible dormouse Glis glis occurs here, close to the point of its original release in Tring Park in the 19th century.

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.

Plant communities