Hartslock

The top of the Hartslock nature reserve, looking down across Hartslock Wood and the River Thames

Hartslock Nature Reserve is an 11-acre (4.5 ha) section of the much larger Hartslock SSSI near Goring-on-Thames, south Oxfordshire, England. The reserve is primarily south-facing chalk downland surrounded by thick, ancient hedges and narrow tracts of mixed yew and deciduous woodland.

The site has a very rich diversity of species characteristic of the habitat, including:

• Monkey orchids (Orchis simia), lady orchids (Orchis purpurea) and the hybrid between both species
• rare plants such as bastard toadflax (Thesium humifusum), downy-fruited sedge (Carex filiformis), dodder and slender bedstraw (Galium pumilum)
• Dingy skipper (Erynnis tages), grizzled skipper (Pyrgus malvae) and green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi) butterflies
• Club-tailed dragonfly (Gomphus vulgatissimus) is a frequent visitor in May, flying up from the Thames.
• Ephemera lineata, a rare mayfly also swarms in thousands on the site during the mating season.
• Mecyna flavalis, a rare day-flying moth, is seen commonly in July.

Hartslock is open to the public throughout the year. Dogs should be kept on a lead because livestock is often kept on-site.

External links

• Media related to Hartslock at Wikimedia Commons
• The Hartslock website

Coordinates: 51°30′33″N 1°06′31″W / 51.50917°N 1.10861°W