Hucclecote Meadows
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SO871163 | — | Favourable | 1.68 | 2021-07-29 |
| SO872161 | — | Favourable | 2.41 | 2018-07-16 |
| SO873162 | — | Favourable | 1.67 | 2011-07-27 |
Habitats
Description
Area, 5.74 ha. 14.2 ac. Description A series of lowland meadows overlying Lower Lias clays in the Severn Vale near the outskirts of Gloucester. They represent one of the few remaining areas of such herb rich ancient pastures in the county and have traditionally been managed for hay and stock grazing. The meadows are exceptionally rich in plant species with variations in the relative abundance of particular species from one field to the next. The main grasses are generally Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, meadow fescue Schedonorus pratensis, crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus and meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis with other meadow species such as quaking grass Briza media, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, common bent Agrostis capillaris and meadow barley Hordeum secalinum. Herb species characteristic of such ancient meadow habitats here include large amounts of great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis, cowslip Primula veris, devil’s bit scabious Succisa pratensis, saw wort Serratula tinctoria, lady’s bedstraw Galium verum, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor and betony Betonica officinalis. Less abundant are plants such as pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, dyer’s greenweed Genista tinctoria, green winged orchid Anacamptis morio and the nationally rare corky fruited water dropwort Oenanthe pimpinelloides. Altogether the fields support some 75 different meadow species. The fields are bordered by very old hedges consisting largely of hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and blackthorn Prunus spinosa with occasional hedgerow trees such as oak Quercus robur. A good range of butterflies have been recorded including meadow brown Maniola jurtina, marbled white Melanargia galatheaa, common blue Polyommatus icarus, grizzled skipper Pyrgus malvae and small heath Coenonympha pamphilus.
Species mentioned
Show the 26 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