Arger Fen

Arger Fen
Site of Special Scientific Interest

Entering Arger Fen and Spouse's Vale nature reserve
Arger Fen within Suffolk
Area of Search Suffolk
Grid reference TL933356
Coordinates 51°59′10″N 0°49′05″E / 51.986°N 0.818°E / 51.986; 0.818Coordinates: 51°59′10″N 0°49′05″E / 51.986°N 0.818°E / 51.986; 0.818
Interest Biological
Area 48.7 hectares (0.49 km2; 0.19 sq mi)
Notification 1956
Natural England website

Arger Fen, also known as 'Bluebell Wood' due to the vast amounts of the plant that appear during the winter months, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and nature reserve located between the villages of Bures St Mary and Leavenheath, 7 miles (11.3 km) south-east of Sudbury in the south of the English county of Suffolk. The reserve is owned and managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust who purchased it in 2008.[1] The reserve is 48 hectares (119 acres) in area and was first identified as an SSSI in 1986.[2] It is also a Local Nature Reserve.[3][4]

The site lies within the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is made up of a mix of woodland and meadow habitats with much of the woodland believed to be ancient in origin.[2] The underlying geology is a mixture of sand and gravel banks and clay soils, producing a mix of habitat types, including wet fen type habitats at lower levels and dry grasslands on acidic soils on hill tops.[2] It is one of only two known areas of ancient woodland in Eastern England which feature wild cherry (Prunus avium).[1][2]

Badgers are found on the reserve with a number of active setts.[1][2] Other rare fauna include the hazel dormouse and barbastelle bat.[1] In 2012 the reserve, which has ash trees at least 300 years old, was identified as a site of ash dieback[1][5] and in 2013 it became a research site for Forestry Commission scientists studying genetic resistance to the Chalara fungus which causes the disease.[6]

Suffolk Wildlife Trust refer to the reserve as Arger Fen and Spouse's Vale. There are car parking facilities on the site as well as two way marked trails, including areas of board walk.[1] The Trust has attempted to encourage the growth of the dormouse population at the site, partly by expanding the area of land it owns at Arger Fen.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Arger Fen and Spouse's Vale, Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Arger Fen, SSSI citation, Natural England. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  3. ↑ "Arger Fen". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
  4. ↑ "Map of Arger Fen". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
  5. ↑ Ash dieback: Fears realised for ancient Arger Fen wood, BBC news website, 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  6. ↑ Ash dieback disease to be studied at Suffolk Wildlife Trust nature reserve, BBC news website, 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  7. ↑ Suffolk Wildlife Trust appeal to buy land for dormice, BBC Suffolk news website, 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, July 05, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.