Landscapes and Wildlife in the Chilterns Countryside

The grasslands, farmland and woodlands of the Chiltern Countryside are rich in wildlife. Several of our sites contain areas of rare chalk grassland, where the thin soils support a huge variety of wildflowers. These, together with our beech woodlands and carefully managed farmland, attract a cornucopia of birds, mammals, butterflies and other insects.

Chalk grassland at Coombe Hill
Chilterns Countryside   Buckinghamshire

Discover Chalk Grassland in the Chilterns Countryside

Up to 40 species of flowering plants can be found in one square metre of chalk grassland, and many species are unique to the habitat, including orchids, gentians, wild candytuft and other wildflowers. In turn, the variety of wildflowers attracts many species of insect, including rare butterflies such as the Adonis Blue and the Duke of Burgundy.

Find out more about chalk grassland
Yellow meadow ant anthills at Coombe Hill
Chilterns Countryside   Buckinghamshire

Discover the amazing anthills at Coombe Hill

Chalk grassland is one of our rarest habitats, and a reason why Coombe Hill is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The large bumps on the steep west-facing slope are the nests of the yellow meadow ant; a tiny insect that builds large anthills that provides a diverse range of homes for many of these species of wild flowers and animals.

Find out more about anthills
Silver-washed Fritillary
Chilterns Countryside   Buckinghamshire

Discover butterflies in the Chilterns Countryside

There are few more uplifting sights than a kaleidoscope of butterflies flittering amongst the flower heads in a meadow. To see butterflies is more than just heartening, they are also nature’s pointers, telling us that the environment is healthy, and that a host of plants, insects and other animals are also thriving.

Find out more about the butterflies in the Chiltern Countryside
Purple emperor butterfly
Chilterns Countryside   Buckinghamshire

Purple Emperor butterflies success at Bradenham

The Purple Emperor, one of Britain's most elusive butterflies, has been spotted for the first time at National Trust’s Bradenham estate near West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. Careful woodland and grassland management by the National Trust’s rangers at Bradenham has made this possible.

Find out more
Park Wood at Bradenham
Chilterns Countryside   Buckinghamshire

Discover beech woodlands in the Chilterns Countryside

The landscape of the Chiltern Hills is surprisingly wooded, and those woodlands are dominated by beech trees. Many parts of the Chilterns have been covered with woodland for hundreds of years, and today the Chilterns are still one of the most wooded parts of England, with over one fifth of the land area covered by trees.

Find out more about the Chiltern beechwoods
Autumn at Low Scrubs
Chilterns Countryside   Buckinghamshire

Chilterns Countryside’s autumn colours explained

Autumn in the Chilterns Countryside is when the woodlands and hedgerows reveal a magnificent kaleidoscope of colour. The National Trust sites in the Chilterns offer some of the best places in England to see the golden glow of autumn as it unfolds in all its glory.

Find out what causes the autumn colours
Path through bluebells at Bradenham
Chilterns Countryside   Buckinghamshire

Discover bluebells in the Chilterns Countryside

There’s nothing more enchanting than stumbling across a vibrant carpet of woodland bluebells. There are many places in the Chiltern Hills where bluebells flourish and they are at their best between mid-April and late May.

Discover bluebells on our downloadable walks
Mistle Thrush
Chilterns Countryside   Buckinghamshire

Discover our ‘top-ten’ favourite birds in the Chilterns Countryside

The grasslands, woodlands and scrublands in the Chilterns Countryside are home to many species of bird. Some a familiar natives, like the robin and the chaffinch, while others are migrant species that overwinter in the Chilterns or are just passing through. How many of our favourite ‘top-ten’ birds can you see in the Chilterns Countryside?

What are our top-ten birds?
Fluffy kestrel chick at 18 days old being safely held by the feet for ringing

Looking after kestrel chicks in the Chilterns Countryside 

The Chilterns Countryside rangers were very excited to see eggs in their kestrel nest box this year. They’ve been following their progress from the ranger office via a nest-cam.

Find out more about the kestrel chicks
Juniper

Juniper planting in the Chilterns 

We often associate juniper berries with the production of gin, but juniper is a plant of national ecological importance which has been declining, especially in the Southern half of Britain. National Trust ranges are now working to reverse the decline and to ensure that Juniper remains a permanent feature of our countryside.

Find out how we are conserving juniper