Honington has a rich and diverse selection of flora and fauna with some unique habitats due to the limestone escarpment. Honington hill fort, a listed ancient monument, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The earth banks and central portion of this Iron Age fort support a rich limestone flora with species which are scarce and decreasing in the county. Where there is shelter from the wind, especially along the south facing banks, the area is a sanctuary for butterflies. The species listed below have either been seen by Honington villagers or have been scientifically recorded within the parish.

Mammals

Fox
Badger
Stoat
Weasel
Rat
Bank Vole
Roe Deer. Roe deers have been seen on several occasions on the ridge in the vicinity of Honington hill fort.
Photograph taken 4th June 2006
Muntjac deer seen 26 July 2008
Red Deer seen on 3 Jan 09.
Hare. Frequent the heath in the vicinity of the hillfort.
Rabbit
Whiskered, Natterer's, Long Eared and Pipistrelle bats have been recorded in St Wilfrid's church.

Birds

Barn owl. Barn owls were observed nesting on the outskirts of the village in summer 2006.
Buzzard
Gold Crest
Green woodpecker
Greater spotted woodpecker
Grey Wagtail
Kestrel
Little owl. Little owl pellets, full of beetle wing cases, can be found in the vicinity of the Church. In summer 2008 a pair of Little Owls nested in the Church
Marsh Harrier
Skylark. Particularly prevalent in the fields around the hillfort.
Sparrow hawk. Regular garden vistors in the village.
Tawny owl. Very vocal in the village, particularly in the autumn. Tawny owl pellets can be found in the vicinity of th Church.
Treecreeper.
Nuthatch (3 Jan 09)
Red Kite (Pair seen over the centre of the village at low level on 8 Mar 09)
Jay (19 Dec 09 in a garden after snow and a hard frost)

Amphibians

Common frog
Common toad
Smooth newt

Reptiles

A male Common Lizard was discovered on a driveway within the village on18th May 2007.

A Grass Snake was spotted on a doorstep in Honington on 24th April 2007

Insects

Common blue butterflies, amongst other butterflies, and many grasshopper species live in the vicinity of Honington hill fort.

Molluscs

Six species of land snail have been recorded in the vicinity of Honington hill fort.

Plants

The banks of Honington hill fort are dominated by tor grass Brachypodium pinnatum and upright brome Bromus erectus. These are typical of base-rich soils and are found with yellow oat-grass Trisetum flavescens, crested hair-grass Koeleria macrantha and quaking grass Briza media. Herbs associated with this kind of grassland are also concentrated on the banks where common rock-rose Helianthemum nummularium, salad burnet Sanguisorba minor, burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga, cowslip Primula veris and harebell Campanula rotundifolia occur. Members of the pea family, some of which are food plants for common blue butterflies, include kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, puple milk-vetch Astragalus danicus, horse-shoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa and common bird's-foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus. In one area there is a well established colony of pasque flower Pulsatilla vulgaris which is only known from one other site in the county.

In level areas where course grasses like cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata and tall oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius dominate, there are nevertheless some interesting herbs like wild carrot Daucus carota, field scabius Knautia arvensis, greater knapweek Centaurea scabiosa and these are areas favoured by insects including grasshoppers.

More information can be found at http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1003842.pdf