the steep bank above the east side of the pool, as well as a little willow carr wood nearby. Beyond the gill to the north, the Stream slows, and there are black tailed skimmers and demoiselles (). Perching Sands Farm is no longer a working farm. Where the light soils of 'the sands', the Lower Greensand, are ploughed, plants like bugloss, sticky mouse ear, thale cress, and field pansy grow, and the glossy ant spider, (which pretends to be an ant) loves it. However, despite the productivity of the soil, the line of old farms have mainly been bought by people wishing to enjoy the traditional farmsteads and large gardens. On this fertile outcrop only South Tottington Sands and Poynings Grange are still working farms. Perching Hovel Wood Perching Hovel Wood () is a wet wood of mainly outgrown ash coppice stools and is currently suffering from the ash die back disease. The woodland is too wet for many fungi, but scarlet elf cup, elastic saddle and willow shield has been found here. Perching bostal The Perching bostal () is so deep in parts that it looks like a quarry, with bare blocks of chalk forming its walls. Water gushing down it during storms forms a bare runnel down its floor. In one place tufted hair-grass and hard rush can be found, as though this was a Wealden meadow, not dry chalk country. In hot summer evenings male glowworms shine their blue-green light. In high summer carline thistle and cushions of thyme thrive, whilst other plants wilt, and wall brown butterfly, chalk carpet and black pyrausta moths enjoy the aridity. At the base of the bostal is the grassed over remains of a chalk pit with its Victorian lime kiln beautifully restored. There's another one south of Edburton church, too. Scarp and Downland The Perching bostal climbs up the bank to the Perching Hill. To the east Fulking bostals are less well trod and rise to Fulking Hill. Perching Hill Perching Hill () is at the top of the scarp slope. There is a rare Downland medieval hamlet, whose strip-cultivated open field survived until Victorian times. This is probably a result of the medieval expansion of the Perching Manor in Fulking and probably due to the presence of an underground water course in the coombe, indicated by a well about sixty metres to the west of the monument. Perching Hill's