Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
![]() Stew Pond, Epsom Common | |
Location | Surrey |
---|---|
Grid reference | TQ 180 600[1] |
Interest | Biological |
Area | 360.4 hectares (891 acres)[1] |
Notification | 1984[1] |
Location map | Magic Map |
Epsom and Ashtead Commons are a 360.4-hectare (891-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the outskirts of Epsom and Ashtead in Surrey.[1][2] Epsom Common is a local nature reserve,[3] and Ashtead Common is a national nature reserve,[4] The site also includes a triangular enclosure which is a Scheduled Monument[5]
These commons have diverse habitats on London Clay which provide habitats for rich communities of breeding birds. This is one of the most important sites in the county for invertebrates, including a threatened beetle, Rhizophagus oblongicollis and three nationally rare species, the beetle Bibloporus minutus and the flies Ctenophora bimaculata and Oedalea apicalis.[6]