The grasslands support many animals and plants. They are particularly important for rare orchids such as the bee orchid, which might have survived here since the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Many insects can be found on the grassland particularly butterflies - Box Hill has 40 of the 58 British butterfly species such as the adonis blue and brown skipper. The most numerous insect is probably the yellow meadow ant. Its anthills can be seen in the grassland, and they are often a clue to the fact that the area has been grassland for many years.
