What is a habitat?
The Adonis Blue habitat is chalk downland
A habitat is a place where a plant or animal lives (Its address!). Different animals and plants are found in different habitats as they are adapted to the conditions of the habitats in which they live. Most animals are only adapted to live in one or two habitats. All living things need shelter (cover), water, food, air and space to survive.
To keep habitats in the best possible condition they need to be cared for; from a farmer looking after his arable fields to a nature reserve warden looking after some wetland.
Wildlife has evolved and adapted to live in special habitats and depends totally upon them. If the habitats are scarce, then so are many plants and animals that live there.
Main habitats of the South Downs
Chalk downland
Birds-foot trefoil is a plant that thrives on the thin soils of chalk downland. It's sometimes known as 'eggs and bacon' because of its colour!
Woodland
Fly agaric is a mushroom only found in wooded heathland living on the roots of the birch tree - find fly agaric there has to be birch beside it!
Wetland
Dragonflies are found in wetlands and are among the most ancient of living creatures dating back almost 300 million years!
Heathland
The Sundew plant is found on heathland. It traps insects in a sticky liquid that slowly dissolves the insect and feeds the plant.
Coastal and marine
You can find a wide variety of species when rock pooling along the coast. Limpets are like sheep of the coastline - they graze on green algae that grows on rocks.
Arable farmland
Typically found in hedgerows and fields of cereal crops, the harvest mouse is Britains smallest rodent. It weighs less than a 2p coin!
