About the reserve

Strensall Common is part of a larger area of internationally important lowland heath in the Vale of York. This special environment, featuring wet heath, dry heath, mire, open water, woodland and acid grassland, is home to many insects, birds and reptiles, and over 150 species of plants. In August, ling heather and cross-leave heath turn the heathland purple - quite a sight on a sunny afternoon. Other plants to look out for include marsh cinquefoil, marsh gentian and the carnivorous round-leaved sundew, and, on the drier grassland, the pinky-red flowers of sheep's sorrel and tiny white crosses of heath bedstraw. 

This is one of the best places in the area to see reptiles, specifically common lizards - which you might spot basking on tree stumps or scuttling through undergrowth - as well as adders. Stick to the paths to avoid disturbing these beautiful, zigzag-patterned snakes. 

The reserve and wider common are great places to find heathland birds - stonechats, woodlarks, tree pipits, green woodpeckers, cuckoos, and maybe a hobby hunting dragonflies.

Discover the common's uncommon insects

The common has magnificent insect life, including a nationally important population of dark-bordered beauty moths, southern hawker and black darter dragonflies, green and purple hairstreak butterflies, and bog bush-crickets int he rushy grassland. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust manages the reserve by maintaining the open areas of heath for wildlife. 

Grazing livestock help to control birch seedlings, and we remove bracken and invasive coniferous species that are not native to heaths in this part of the UK. We also clear out the ponds occasionally to maintain patches of open water.