Long Herdon Meadow
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | Buckinghamshire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SP648202 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 4.5 hectares |
| Notification | 1985 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Long Herdon Meadow is a 4.5 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire.[1][2] It is part of Upper Ray Meadows nature reserve, which is managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.[3]
The site is an alluvial meadow next to the River Ray in the Vale of Aylesbury. It has clay soil and is liable to flooding. A regime of a hay cut followed by cattle grazing, without the use of artificial fertilisers, has resulted in a diverse grassland habitat now rare in England. Herbs include meadow buttercup, lesser knapweed and devil's bit scabious. Ditches and the riverbank provide a permanently wet habitat, encouraging wading birds such as snipe and curlew. Invertebrates include damselflies.[1]
There is access from the Bernwood Jubilee Way between Marsh Gibbon and the A41 road, adjacent to the River Ray.
References
- ^ a b "Long Herdon Meadow citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "Map of Long Herdon Meadow". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ^ "Upper Ray Meadows". Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
