Seasonal highlights at Saddlescombe Farm



July
This month sees Newtimber grasslands at their most colourful. Blues, pinks, yellows, whites and reds - every hue is covered. Look out for the Sussex speciality flower - the round-headed rampion. It's simply beautiful.
August
The west-facing slopes come alive with over 20 species of butterfly on the wing. The silver spotted skipper, once a rare little butterfly, can now be seen in profusion on the west-facing slopes. Its characteristic skipping from flower to flower is unmistakable.

September
Bluebells have the fame, but equally spectacular is the autumn flowering of the devil's-bit scabious. Some years it's simply breath-taking. You can't miss it as it's everywhere.
October
Newtimber's ancient woodland hosts hundreds of different fungi, from the miniscule parachute mushrooms to the huge and deadly (for trees) Ganoderma. On the open grassland look for fairy rings and the elusive, brightly coloured waxcap mushrooms that bring a second summer to the hill.

November
Go for an early morning walk when the dew is rising and witness the spectacle of thousands of cobwebs carpeting the downs.
December
The green woodpecker is a common sight on the downs but never fails to delight. You will either see it sticking its beak into the mounds of anthills that pepper the hill or flying off into the woods with its characteristic glide.
Wildlife
Butterflies
Newtimber is a haven for butterflies with over 30 species found between April and September. Downland specialities include the Adonis blue, chalkhill blue and silver spotted skipper.

Wildflowers
Take a walk around Newtimber between May and September and you'll discover why it's considered one of the top downland sites in the country.
Birds
Different seasons bring different birds but the residents include the kestrel, buzzard, green woodpecker, rooks and other corvids including jackdaws and jays.

Mammals
Deer, foxes, stoats, weasels, badgers and bats can be seen on the hills around Saddlescombe.
Fungi
Newtimber Holt has hundreds of different species - from minute parachute mushrooms to the giant and deadly (for trees) Ganoderma. The grassland holds an equal, but more elusive, allure with the beautifully coloured waxcaps.
Find out more about our fungal forays
Insects
Newtimber's chalk grassland flowers provide a great bounty for the thousands of different insects that thrive here in summer. Look out for the bloody-nosed and cardinal beetles and the brightly coloured day flying moths.
