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Yew Hill

Oliver's Battery, Winchester
OS Map 185, Grid Ref SU467253 (meeting place)
Client: Butterfly Conservation

Yew Hill is a pleasant mixture of open chalk grassland, ancient hedgerows, groves of trees and medieval ditches. This enables a rich variety of plants and animals to thrive here in its sunny sheltered conditions. Obviously butterflies are the main concern of the reserve's management regime and Yew Hill is most notable for its populations of Brown Argus, Chalkhill Blue, Essex Skipper and Marbled White butterfly. It also has a diverse flora, which includes Fragrant, Pyramidal, Bee and Frog orchids as well as Clustered Bellflower, Squinancywort and Sainfoin.

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Tasks have focussed on clearing excessive scrub from within the grazed area, and keeping it at bay around the fence line.
Original versions of these and some other pictures by Karen can be seen on Google photos and Google photos.



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We have also cut and raked areas which cannot be grazed.



Winter tasks are to cut the grassland area near the reservoir, and generally keep scrub under control.

Directions

Meet at 10am in the first lay-by in Hurdle Way, Compton Down.
From the south come off the M3 at J12, cross the M3 and take the first exit off the roundabout. Take the next right into Winchester Road towards Otterbourne. Follow this road north, over a roundabout and eventually back over the M3. Take the next left, Hurdle Way immediately after crossing the M3.
From the north, leave the M3 at J11 and turn right back under the M3. Turn left up hill and then right at the next roundabout. At the next roundabout turn left into Otterbourne Road, this will eventually drop down into Compton before rising again. At the top of the hill, before you cross the M3 turn right into Hurdle Way.

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