| |||||||||||
|
Portholme Meadow is classified as a humid, mesophile grassland. It is a species-rich hay meadow on a moderately fertile river and tributary floodplain. It is cut annually for hay, with light aftermath grazing. Seasonal flooding maintains an input of nutrients.
In the UK, this habitat corresponds to NVC type MG4 Alopecurus pratensis – Sanguisorba officinalis grassland and is characterised by the following species;
Please note the lists below are not exhaustive.
However, certain areas of Portholme Meadow are suffering from the invasion of the curled doc Rumex crispus, at a level sufficient to cause English Nature concern at the February 2005 inspection and gain it "unfavourable" status.
It is the largest surviving traditionally-managed meadow in the UK, with an area of 104 ha of alluvial flood meadow (7% of the total UK resource). There has been a long history of favourable management and very little of the site has suffered from agricultural improvement, and so it demonstrates good conservation of structure and function. It also supports a small populations of the snake's-head fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris, and the cowslip, Primula veris
This grassland type is rare in the UK and occurs almost entirely in central and southern England, with a few outlying fragments along the Welsh borders. It is estimated to cover less than 1,500 ha in total, and survives at scattered and mostly small sites. Other concentrations are found in the flood plains of the River Thames and its tributaries, and those associated with the Vale of York rivers, especially the Derwent.
 |
||
|
 |
|
|
Page last updated 20/02/07 Copyright 2001© JevStar.Com (JevStar™) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
