Devenish Nature Reserve
The Devenish Reserve is one of two Trust Reserves within hiking distance of central Salisbury. It is a wonderful mixture of young woodland, mature Beech (Fagus sylvatica) woodland, chalk downland and meadow. This variety of habitats makes it a wildlife haven, particularly for beetles, bugs and butterflies. The walk to the top of the steep chalk downland slope provides spectacular views of the Woodford Valley.
Wildlife
Birds found here include summer songsters such as Garden Warblers (Sylvia borin) and Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) while Buzzards (Buteo buteo) frequently can be spotted wheeling majestically overhead.
Downland wildflowers reach their peak in summer. They include Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea), Clustered Bellflower (Campanula glomerata), Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia), Common Rock Rose (Helianthemum nummularium) and Devil’s Bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) which are important food plants for butterflies such as skippers (Hesperiidae), Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) and the Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi).
Other butterflies at the reserve include the Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra coridon) and Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina).
The large Beech trees along the road are more than 200 years old. Once part of a beech walk, in the landscaped grounds of Durnford Manor, these veteran trees are dying. However, the resulting deadwood is a valuable habitat for many different beetles, flies, bugs and pseudo scorpions.
The most spectacular beetles include the aptly-named Rhinoceros Beetle (Sinodendron cylindricum) and the very rare Longhorn Beetle (Pyrrhidium sanguineum), which lays its eggs in the deadwood so that its larvae can feast on it.
History and management
The Reserve lies in the parish of Durnford in the tithing of Little Durnford, and in the Middle Ages was probably a typical Wiltshire chalkland manor, with open arable fields on the lower slopes and rough pasture on the higher downland.
Over time a beech walk and avenue and coverts were added and the woodland was expanded between 1880 and 1920 by extensive planting for pheasant shooting. By 1923 woodland rides had been created, reducing the area of rough downland further.
Secondary woodland such as Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) regeneration has grown up since and the Trust is thinning out the woodland, removing the non-native larch trees and felling others.
Under the Trust’s New Life for Chalk Grassland Project, which aims to restore unmanaged grassland and revert marginal arable land back to grassland, one Herdwick sheep and a flock of 18 Hebridean sheep graze the Reserve all year round.
By eating the shoots of Brambles (Rubus fruticosus) and Ash tree saplings they prevent scrub invading the grassland and help chalk downland flowers to thrive.
Other information
Dogs are allowed, but must be on a short leash at all times of year.
Best time to visit: summer for butterflies, early summer for chalk downland flowers, while spectacular views of the Woodford valley can be enjoyed all year from the top of the slope - but particularly in autumn when the yellows, reds and browns are magnificent.
Habitat: Woodland, chalk downland and meadow.
Specialities of the reserve: Rhinoceros Beetle, the rare Longhorn Beetle and butterflies.
Location: Driving Directions – from central Salisbury, drive north on the A345 and turn left on the Stratford Road, past South Wilts Grammar School and through Stratford-sub-Castle. Do not cross the river or turn right towards Old Sarum, but drive straight ahead towards Durnford. The car park is on the right, approximately two miles from the river junction at grid reference SU128349.
Hiking Directions - footpath from the back of the library, towards the Leisure Centre, along the back of South Wilts Grammar School and the allotments, to the road in Stratford-sub-Castle. Turn right along road for a hundred yards or so, carry straight on up Portway to Old Sarum. Skirt Old Sarum, keeping it on your left, and stay on bridleway between fields towards the minor road. Cross road and stay straight ahead for about a mile. Turn left where a footpath crosses the bridleway. Keep walking until you meet the road. Turn right and follow the road north for approximately 500m until you reach the Reserve entrance on you right.
