Clarke's Pool Meadow SSSI

Clarke's Pool Meadow
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Green winged orchids in a nature reserve (Orchis morio)
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO668061
Coordinates	51°45′11″N 2°28′54″W / 51.753053°N 2.481631°W / 51.753053; -2.481631Coordinates: 51°45′11″N 2°28′54″W / 51.753053°N 2.481631°W / 51.753053; -2.481631
Interest	Biological
Area	1.8 hectare
Notification	1997
Natural England website

Clarke's Pool Meadow (grid reference SO668061) is a 1.8-hectare (4.4-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1997.^[1]^[2] It lies on the flat top of 'Old Hill' about half a mile south of Blakeney. The site consists of two fields which were purchased by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust in 1997. The site was designated an SSSI in the same year and it is one of the finest surviving traditional hay meadows in Gloucestershire.^[3]

Similar meadows have been lost due to agricultural improvement. The site overlies Old Red Sandstone. This contributes to the unusual mix of grassland plants.^[3]^[4]

Plants

The meadows support a show of thousands (estimated at 45,000) of green-winged orchid in May, a colony of some size in this part of Gloucestershire. Also flowering in the late spring are common twayblade, adder's-tongue, cowslip, bluebell, and pignut. Taller grass and flowers develop over the summer and produce a haycrop at that time. Recordings include quaking-grass, common knapweed, meadow vetchling, downy oat-grass, field scabious, meadow buttercup, yellow-rattle, oxeye daisy, common bird's-foot trefoil, goat's-beard, fairy flax and Devil's-bit scabious. Meadow saffron flowers following the hay cut.^[3]^[4]

Invertebrates, mammals and bird life

The neutral meadow flora, broad hedges and the rough field margins support a diversity of invertebrates, small mammals and predators such as the barn owl.^[4]

Conservation

The traditional method for management is hay cutting followed by sheep grazing. Hedges are maintained from natural species.^[3]

Publications

Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al., 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve Guide (January 2011)
'Where to see Wildlife in the Forest of Dean', January 2012, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

References

↑ Natural England SSSI information on the citation
↑ Forest of Dean District Local Plan Review, adopted November 2005, Appendix D 'Nature Conservation Site Designations Within the Forest of Dean District', Sites of Special Scientific Interest Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
1 2 3 4 Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al, 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
1 2 3 Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve Guide (January 2011) for its 50th anniversary

SSSI Source

External links

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Natural England (SSSI information)

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire

Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Ashleworth Ham Astridge Wood Badgeworth Barnsley Warren Barton Bushes Bigsweir Woods Blaisdon Hall Bourton Down Box Farm Meadows Boxwell Brassey Brooks Head Grove Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Railway Tunnel Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House Chaceley Meadow Clarke's Pool Meadow Cleeve Common Cockleford Marsh Collinpark Wood Coombe Hill Canal Coombe Hill Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods Cotswold Water Park Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Daneway Banks Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar Devil's Chapel Scowles Dingle Wood Dixton Wood Dymock Woods Edge Common Elmlea Meadows Frampton Pools Highbury Wood Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Innsworth Meadow Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote and Horsley Woods Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Lineover Wood Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge May Hill Midger Minchinhampton Common Nagshead Old Bow and Old Ham Mines Old River Severn, Upper Lode Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Poor's Allotment Puckham Woods Range Farm Fields River Wye Rodborough Common Rough Bank, Miserden Salmonsbury Meadows Selsley Common Severn Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe Hill Strawberry Banks Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove Swift's Hill Sylvan House Barn The Hudnalls The Malvern Hills Tudor Farm Bank Turvey's Piece Upper Severn Estuary Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow Upper Wye Gorge Walmore Common Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine Whelford Meadow Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wildmoorway Meadows Winson Meadows Woodchester Park Workman's Wood Wotton Hill Yarley Meadows

Neighbouring areas Avon Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

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