Where the downs meet the sea, characteristic white chalk cliffs form, such as the White Cliffs of Dover and Beachy Head.
Downland, an area of open chalk hills, especially in southern England
Butterflies are common; a notable example is the Chalkhill Blue, which is particularly well suited to uncultivated chalk downland areas.
These sites often support many typical chalk downland species such as Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris), Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)and Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor) as well as orchids such as Fragrant (Gymnadenia conopsea), Common Spotted (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) and Pyramidal (Anacamptis pyramidalis).
The main species in the plant communities here are Upright brome (Bromus erectus), Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina), Quaking-grass (Briza media), and downland herbs such as Burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga), Salad-burnet (Sanguisorba minor), Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris) and Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaule).
The river, and village, formerly part of Stratton Park, lie on a Hampshire grass downland, underlain with chalk and flint.
Robert Stayner Holford, the rebuilder of Westonbirt, also founded the Westonbirt Arboretum on former common downland across the road from the house, a mile away.
Woodingdean is an eastern suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, separated from the main part of the city by downland and the Brighton Racecourse.
For most of the Younsmere hundred's existence it included the parishes of Rottingdean (including the detached Balsdean chapelry), Ovingdean and Falmer (including Balmer), i.e. the parishes covering a block of downland east of Brighton.