| Parley Common | |
|---|---|
 Example of the heath, widespread on Parley Common | |
 | |
| Type | Heath |
| Location | Dorset, England |
| Nearest town | Ferndown |
| Coordinates | 50°47′05″N1°52′52″W / 50.784801°N 1.88121°W |
| Area | 168.1 hectares (415 acres) |
| Status | SSSI |
Parley Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the edge of Ferndown in Dorset, England. [1] The majority land owner is the Canford Estate, but among the other owners are the Diocese of Salisbury, Dorset Council and a few private individuals. [2] Most of the site is managed by the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC); The Council's Countryside Service manages the land owned by Dorset Council. [2] The site was notified as an SSSI in 1983. [1]
Contents
The area of the site is 168.1 hectares (415 acres), and comprises a significant amount of heath; the northern and western parts are primarily of the dry heath Calluna vulgaris and Erica cinerea , while the low-lying parts of the south-east are mostly the damp or humid heath Erica tetralix and Molinia caerulea . [1] Rare heathland species include the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis), smooth snake (Coronella austriaca), heath grasshopper (Chorthippus vagansand) and the Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata). [1] Parley Common has an abundance of spider fauna—at least 147 species—which includes the very rare Ero aphana , Bassaniodes robustus (syn. Xysticus robustus)—otherwise found in only a few places in the New Forest—and Gnaphosa lugubris . [1] The site holds claim to a number of firsts: the smooth snake was first recorded in Britain in Parley Common in 1853; the Mazarine blue (Cyaniris semiargus)—now extinct in Britain—was first discovered here in the late nineteenth century; the moth Pachythelia villosella and the ringed carpet moth ( Cleora cinctaria ) were also first discovered here. [2]
The site is one of many areas in the South East Dorset in which grazing by cattle has been reintroduced, as part of efforts to control the growth of scrub. [2] [3] Arson and illegal vehicle use have caused damage to the site, [4] although community involvement is thought to have lessened the number of incidents. [5]