West Yatton Down () is a 14.4

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, notified in 1971. The site is an example of unimproved limestone grassland. Among the more notable plants species are

bastard-toadflax Bastard toadflax or bastard-toadflax is a common name for a plant which may refer to: *'' Comandra'' *''Thesium humifusum ''Thesium humifusum'' is a species of hemiparasitic flowering plant in the family Santalaceae found in western Europe and n ...

(''Thesium humifusum''),

Dyer's greenweed ''Genista tinctoria'', the dyer's greenweed or dyer's broom, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. Its other common names include dyer's whin, waxen woad and waxen wood. The Latin specific epithet ''tinctoria'' means "used as a ...

(''Genista tinctoria''), and musk orchid (''Herminium monorchis''). Other species present include

yellow-wort ''Blackstonia perfoliata'' or yellow-wort is a species of flowering plant in the family Gentianaceae found around the Mediterranean Basin, but extending into northwestern Europe. Description Yellow-wort grows tall, with stiff, branching stems. ...

(''Blackstonia perfoliata''), kidney vetch (''Anthyllis vulneraria''),

devil's-bit scabious ''Succisa pratensis'', also known as devil's-bit or devil's-bit scabious, is a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has four-lobed flowers, whereas small scabious and field s ...

(''Succisa pratensis''),

bee orchid Bee orchid is a common name for several orchids and may refer to: *'' Cottonia peduncularis'', a species of orchid from India and Sri Lanka *'' Diuris carinata'', a species of orchid from the south-west of Western Australia *'' Ida barringtoniae'', ...

(''Ophrys apifera''), tor-grass (''Brachypodium pinnatum'') and upright brome (''Bromus erectus''). The site is also of interest for invertebrates. Twenty-five butterfly species have been recorded, including chalkhill blue, Duke of Burgundy, pearl-bordered fritillary and

green hairstreak The green hairstreak (''Callophrys rubi'') is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Etymology The genus name '' Callophrys'' is a Greek word meaning "beautiful eyebrows", while the species Latin name ''rubi'' derives from ''Rubus'' (bramb ...

Sources

English Nature citation sheet for the site
(accessed 8 August 2006)

External links

English Nature website
(SSSI information) Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1971 {{Wiltshire-geo-stub