Hurcott Farm

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 51.0625, -2.7002

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Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
ST510294 — Favourable 26.81 2012-03-07

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Quaternary

Description

Area, 26.3 ha. 65.0 ac. Description At this site heavily cemented Pleistocene terrace gravels of the River Cary have yielded an abundant freshwater and terrestrial molluscan fauna. The fauna has an interglacial aspect and includes Corbicula fluminalis and Pisidium clessini. On the basis of amino acid dating, the gravels correlate with the glacio marine Burtle Beds of Somerset and the Ipswichian Interglacial deposits in eastern England. A higher terrace of the Cary at the same locality has yielded a sparse cold stage molluscan and macroscopic plant assemblage. Lower terraces nearby correlate with the interstadial deposits at Low Ham six kilometres to the west. This site is of critical importance as the keystone of the Pleistocene stratigraphy of southern Somerset and as a freshwater facies equivalent of the Burtle Beds.

Plant communities

A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream

Potamogeton natans community

Schoenoplectus lacustris, Juncus bulbosus, Sparganium angustifolium, Sparganium erectum, Sparganium minimum, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Lemna trisulca, Nymphaea alba, Callitriche platycarpa, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus trichophyllus, Glyceria fluitans, Chara subspinosa

A14 — Fast flowing river and stream

Myriophyllum alterniflorum community

Isolepis fluitans, Juncus bulbosus, Fontinalis antipyretica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton filiformis, Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus peltatus, Chara spp., Nitella hyalina

A17 — Chalk river and stream, Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans community

Berula erecta, Nasturtium officinale, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Veronica beccabunga, Polygonum amphibium, Polygonum hydropiper, Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans

A18 — Fast flowing river and stream

Ranunculus fluitans community

Fontinalis antipyretica, Fontinalis squamosa var. curnowii, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Elodea canadensis, Mentha aquatica, Lemna gibba, Lemna minor, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Ranunculus fluitans, Glyceria fluitans, Phalaris arundinacea