Elmlea Meadows

Elmlea Meadows (grid reference SU079948) is a 6.9-hectare (17-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1989.[1][2] The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 (on line) as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).[3]

Site of Special Scientific Interest
Example - snake's head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris)
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of SearchGloucestershire
Grid referenceSU079948
Coordinates51.652387°N 1.886485°W / 51.652387; -1.886485
InterestBiological
Area6.9 hectare
Notification1989
Natural England website

Location

The site lies to the north-west of Cricklade near the county boundary, and consists of three meadows which have been managed for hay followed by grazing. The meadows overlie the alluvium and gravels of the Thames floodplain.[1]

Species

The grassland included meadow foxtail and great burnet and supports a rich flora. This is a nationally important meadow area, and supports the nationally rare fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) and the rare downy-fruited sedge (Carex tomentose). The population of fritillary is the largest reported in Gloucestershire.[1] To the north of Cricklade, in the county of Wiltshire, is North Meadow which is both an SSSI and a national nature reserve (NNR) which supports some 80% of the British population of fritillary.

The small area of scrub on the site is dominated by grey willow and crack willow and supports a large number of typical wetland species. It is the only known site for tufted-sedge (Carex elata) in Gloucestershire.[1]

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References
  1. Natural England SSSI information on the citation
  2. Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 1, Sites of Special Scientific Interest Archived March 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Cotswold District Local Plan, Appendix 2, Key Wildlife Sites Archived October 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

SSSI Source


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