Often associated with lowland heathlands, parklands or coastal cliffs, lowland acid grassland typically occurs on nutrient-poor, free-draining soils with a pH ranging from 4 to 5.5. These soils overlie acid rocks or deposits such as sands and gravels. Lowland acid grassland is found below an altitude of 300 metres and is normally managed as pasture.

Lowland dry acid grassland is extremely variable in terms of its species richness, but it’s not uncommon for plants such as heath bedstraw and sheep’s sorrel to grow alongside heather, grasses and sedges. The uplifting song of the skylark fills the daytime air, while the distinctive churring of nightjars disrupts the summer evening quiet. In summer, the sands buzz with the burrowing of solitary bees and wasps, and in autumn, brightly coloured waxcaps poke up through the turf.