Ranmore Common

Also within

Surrey County Surrey Hills Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Bracken scrub

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area, 221.8 ha. 548.2 ac. Description This site is a large and continuous block of woodland situated mainly on plateau deposits on the crest of the North Downs. Some of the woodland notably Bagden Wood and Dorking Wood is ancient, but the remainder is secondary woodland which has developed over former heathland or rough pasture some of which survives in the more open areas. The site supports a diverse community of breeding birds. The plateau deposits which overly the chalk on the crest of the Downs have given rise to an acidic soil which supports open heathy woodland, dominated by oak Quercus robur and Q. petraea with a shrub layer of silver birch Betula pendula, holly Ilex aquifolium and some yew Taxus baccata. Open areas within the woodland are dominated by bracken Pteridium aquilinum, wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa and occasionally heather Calluna vulgaris. Other heathland plants are also found including harebell Campanula rotundifolia, gorse Ulex europaeus and heath bedstraw Galium saxatile. On the dip slope of the Downs and in several small north facing valleys where the chalk is close to the surface, the thinner soil supports oak and beech Fagus sylvatica woodland with some ash Fraxinus excelsior and yew. Along the northern periphery of Ranmore Common, areas of more diverse woodland also include field maple Acer campestre, midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata and crab apple Malus sylvestris. The ground flora is richer here too and includes yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, tutsan Hypericum androsaemum, sweet woodruff Galium odoratum and enchanter's nightshade Circaea lutetiana. Several species of butterflies and moths have been recorded including the satin wave moth Idaea subsericeata and the white admiral butterfly Limenitis camilla. The site also supports a diverse breeding bird community, which includes sparrowhawk, woodcock, tree pipit, nightjar, redstart and hawfinch.

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