This County Wildlife Site (CWS 8) is a real wildlife gem. It may be only a small common, divided into three sections but it is rich in wildlife. The meadows boast such delights as parsley saxifrage, adder’s tongue fern, chalk knapweed and are visited by brown argus butterlies and common pipistrelle bats.
Please note this site is not a Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve.
Habitat description from the Wildlife in Common Survey
Boyland Common is an area of registered common land comprising unimproved neutral grassland over a well-drained soil. The grassland is broadly typical of the boulder clay grasslands and the site is partially surrounded by mature hedgerows and thick scrub. The site is flat throughout, with a few damp hollows and is managed by hay cutting.
To the west of the lane that bisects the site from north to south, the boundary of the common is marked with a large mature hedge, comprised largely of hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna, bramble
Rubus fruticosus agg., elder
Sambucus nigra and blackthorn
Prunus spinosa. Dense stands of nettle
Urtica dioica and rosebay willowherb
Chamerion angustifolium occur near the hedge. The sward here is slightly rank, dominated by meadow foxtail
Alopecurus pratensis, cock’s foot
Dactylis glomerata, false oat grass
Arrhenatherum elatius and sweet vernal grass
Anthoxanthum odoratum. Forbs include meadow buttercup
Ranunculus acris, common mouse-ear
Cerastium fontanum, tufted vetch
Vicia cracca, sorrel
Rumex acetosella, lesser stitchwort
Stellaria graminea and ox-eye daisy (
Leucanthemum vulgare). Damp hollows contain soft rush
Juncus effusus, glaucous sedge
Carex flacca and carnation sedge
Carex panicea. Around the small patch of scrub to the north of this area, there are some patches of tufted hair grass
Descampsia cespitosa, and both meadowsweet
Filipendula ulmaria and hogweed
Heracleum sphondylium occur.
Early purple orchid
Orchis mascula, green-winged orchid
Anacamptis morio and bee orchid
Ophrys apifera are found scattered in the grassland. Also found are cowslip
Primula veris, sulphur clover
Trifolium ochroleucum, dyers’s greenweed
Genista tinctoria, chalk knapweed
Centaura debeauxii and adder’s tongue fern
Ophioglossum vulgatum.
The remaining two areas of the common, to the east of the north-south lane and straddling the east-west lane, are broadly similar to the western section, with meadow foxtail and Yorkshire fog
Holocus lanatus dominating the grasses. Quaking grass
Briza media occurs, but is rare and early purple orchids
Orchis mascula occur in patches. The forbs include those listed above, as well as frequent meadow vetchling
Lathyrus pratensis, plus occasional cuckooflower
Cardamine pratensis, bulbous buttercup
Ranunculus bulbosus and patches of ribwort plantain
Plantago lanceolata, which occurs across the site. Yarrow
Achillea millefolium, germander speedwell
Veronica chamaedrys, wild carrot
Daucus carrota, rough chervil Chaerophyllum temulentum and black knapweed Centaurea nigra are frequent across the site: pepper saxifrage
Silaum silus and rough meadow grass
Poa trivialis are less common.
A patch of willow
Salix spp. scrub dominates the south-east tip of the site, with some bramble underneath and a mature hedge, similar to the one on the western boundary, forms the southern boundary of the site. Wet hollows on the southern section, contain water mint
Mentha aquatica, hairy sedge
Carex hirta and greater bird’s foot trefoil
Lotus pedunculatus.
Turtle dove
Streptopelia turtur was heard on the common in 2018.