There are several different types of grassland, characterised by their soil types. Acid grassland can be found in both upland and lowland areas where fine-leaved grasses like red and sheep’s fescues and common bent grow, alongside wild flowers like sheep’s sorrel, heath bedstraw and pretty blue harebells.

Neutral grassland is associated with clays and silty soils. Green-winged orchids dot the grass with purple, and pepper saxifrage and adder’s-tongue fern flourish here. The unforgettable song of the skylark fills the air and butterflies like common blue and meadow brown dance from flower to flower.

Chalk grassland develops on shallow, lime-rich soils that are poor in nutrients. In spring and summer, these special habitats come to life as swathes of wild flowers, such as cowslips, clustered bellflowers and bee orchids attract butterflies like striking Adonis blues and clouds of marbled whites.