Knight's Bottom & The Lynch

A path follows the dry valley from Hawkshill to Oxney Bottom, dividing Kingsdown from Ringwould. The northern part is known as Knight's Bottom and the southern part is the Lynch, with a small wood between them known rather grandly as Great Coombe.

Great Coombe has a number of interesting trees including a stand of Yews (above) and a Wych Elm (below).
The east side of the valley was clear of scrub and trees until the 1950s, and presumably was grazed chalk grassland. Now however the stronger varieties have mostly taken over, making the path enclosed and oppressive, and the banks are bare or ivy-covered.

The only remaining piece of grassland (and as far as I'm aware the only piece inland from the golf course and cliffs apart from Hawkshill) is a small side of the Lynch, which still has a good variety of chalk downland plants.

A local told me that during the last war, troops used the chalk bank as a target for shooting practice, so a metal detector could bring up some interesting finds.

The bank catches the sun in the afternoon, and there was a good selection of butterflies, day-flying moths and other insects enjoying it today.

Green-veined white

Large Skipper on Scabious

Large Skipper on Burdock

Hiding under a hedge was a reminder that Autumn is not far away - Lords&Ladies berries.