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:'' There are two hills in Hampshire called Beacon Hill; the other one is near Warnford. Beacon Hill is near the village of Burghclere and Watership Down, in north Hampshire. The hill's name is derived from the fact that it was one of many Beacon Hills in England and beyond. This hill was once the site of the most famous beacon in Hampshire. It is 261 metres high and has one of England's most well known hill forts on its slopes, visible from the main A34 road which passes close by. From there, outstanding views of the surrounding area and much of Hampshire may be obtained. The site is open to the public and managed by Hampshire County Council. It is a site of special scientific interest and a national nature reserve. ==Ecology== Beacon Hill is a calcareous grassland chalk downland habitat and as such is scarce and home to some unusual and rare species. Many chalk grassland slopes in England show the mark of centuries of grazing by sheep, the slopes bearing a stepped appearance formed by a mixture of soil creep and sheep paths. Such erosion is clearly visible on the slopes of Beacon Hill. The site includes an extensive stand of juniper ''Juniperus communis'', privet ''Ligustrum vulgare'', buckthorn ''Rhamnus catharticus'', rose ''Rosa spp.'', bramble ''Rubus spp.'', wayfaring tree ''Viburnum lantana'' and hawthorn (''Crataegus monogyna'') and whitebeam ''Sorbus aria'', which covers circa 20 ha to the west-facing slopes. There is little evidence of juniper regeneration (and some moribund bushes) and the site is probably witnessing a transition from juniper to a mixed scrub community, with the early indications of an eventual succession of woodland. The scrub is unusual on the chalk in lacking a yew ''Taxus baccata'' and ash ''Fraxinus excelsior'' component.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Natural England SSSI Citation )〕 The open grassland is rich in herbs, with fescues ''Festuca ovina'' and ''Festuca pratensis'', crested dog’s tail ''Cynosurus cristatus'', spring sedge ''Carex caryophyllea'', and locally quaking grass ''Briza media'' as dominants. Abundant herbs include ladys’ bedstraw ''Galium vernum'', hedge bedstraw ''Galium mollugo'', creeping thistle ''Cirsium acaule'', fairy flax ''Linum catharticum'', bird’s-foot trefoil ''Lotus corniculatus'', horseshoe vetch ''Hippocrepis comosa'', kidney vetch ''Anthyllis vulneraria'', chalk milkwort ''Polygala calcarea'' and felwort ''Gentianella amarella'' and several species of orchids.〔 There is also Rock Rose, Wild Thyme, and Clustered Bellflower. These flowers in turn provide for rare invertebrates such as ''Osmia bicolor'', a scarce solitary bee. There is a decidedly neutral element in the flora which suggests that the soils may in part be derived from superficial drift or loess.〔 In a national survey carried out in the early 1970s, the chalk scrub element of the SSSI is recognised as being a nationally important example of a stage in the succession from juniper scrub to woodland. The chalk grassland within the SSSI includes a wide range of aspect and soils and in particular include chalk grassland developed on gradients which elsewhere have mostly been converted to arable or ley.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Beacon Hill, Burghclere, Hampshire」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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