Hawkesbury Meadow
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST754873 | — | Favourable | 3.38 | 2011-07-21 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Jurassic
Description
Area, 3.3 ha. 8.2 ac. Description Hawkesbury Meadow is situated at about 90 metres OD N on Jurassic, Lias clays. It is species rich, unimproved, neutral, grassland on level to gently sloping ground and is bordered by trimmed and mature hedges. There is a small pond against the eastern hedge. The meadow supports a nationally rare type of vegetation common knapweed / crested dog's tail Centaurea nigra/ Cynosurus cristatus and is particularly important because many of the uncommon plants associated with this community type form a high proportion of the sward. Common knapweed, devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis and the uncommon saw wort Serratula tinctoria are particularly abundant, while dyers greenweed Genista tinctoria and pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, both uncommon species, are frequent. Less abundant species include meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, cowslip Primula veris, betony Betonica officinalis, creeping jenny Lysimachia nummularia, tufted vetch Vicia cracca and meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis. Other uncommon plants present are green winged orchid Anacamptis morio and adder's tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum. The grass and sedge component is typical for the community type, predominant are common bent Agrostis capillaris, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, crested dog's tail, red fescue Festuca rubra and carnation sedge Carex panicea. The meadow drains naturally into a shallow depression across the middle, which has a dense stand of brown sedge Carex disticha at the top and wet rushy grassland below. The rushy community has frequent tussocks of soft rush Juncus effusus and hard rush Juncus inflexus, with false fox sedge Carex otrubae, ragged-robin Silene flos-cuculi and lesser spearwort Ranunculus flammula which are plants of periodically inundated marshy ground. Meadow thistle Cirsium dissectum a plant of restricted distribution in Britain occurs in the depression. Site Notified to Secretary of State on 28 October 1987
Species mentioned
Show the 25 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusPlant communities
W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub
Show 81 indicator speciesHedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas
W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub
Show 49 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas
W23 — Brownfield, Hedgerow scrub
Ulex europaeus-Rubus fruticosus scrub
Show 40 indicator speciesHedera helix, Calluna vulgaris, Cytisus scoparius, Ulex europaeus, Kindbergia praelonga, Pseudoscleropodium purum, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Achillea millefolium, Crepis capillaris, Hypochaeris radicata, Jacobaea vulgaris, Campanula rotundifolia, Jasione montana, Cerastium fontanum, Silene dioica, Teucrium scorodonia, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Veronica officinalis, Rumex acetosa, Rumex acetosella, Potentilla erecta, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium saxatile, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Aira praecox, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa pratensis, Pteridium aquilinum