Long Dole Wood and Meadows SSSI (grid reference ST610562) is a 9.8 hectares (24 acres) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) between the villages of Farrington Gurney and Hinton Blewitt in Bath and North East Somerset, notified in 1987.
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
  Location within Somerset | |
| Location | Avon |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | ST610562 |
| Coordinates | 51°18′13″N 2°33′39″W / 51.30358°N 2.56083°W |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 9.8 hectares (0.098 km2; 0.038 sq mi) |
| Notification | 1987 |
| Natural England website | |
The majority of the SSSI is made up of the Hollow Marsh nature reserve run by the Somerset Wildlife Trust which covers 7.9 hectares (20 acres).[1] The site was previously called Holly Marsh.[2] The meadows are summer grazed,[1] with a heath grass and sedge environment with orchids.[3]
The site is situated on the flood plain of a valley formed by a tributary of the Cam Brook and support two neutral grassland communities with a restricted British distribution. Two ancient woodland sites are also present with ash, oak, hazel, wych elm and other tree varieties which show evidence of coppicing.[1] The ground flora includes Solomon's seal (Polygonatum multiflorum).[3]
When the site was recorded as an SSSI it supported a strong breeding population of the marsh fritillary (Eurodryas aurinia),[3] however this declined in the late 20th century, and this species is no longer found at the site.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Hollow Marsh Meadow". Somerset Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ "Hollow Marsh". Chewton Mendip History. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ a b c "SSSI citation sheet for the site" (PDF). English Nature. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ Spalding, Adrian (2000). "Butterfly Conservation. Regional Action Plan. South-west England" (PDF). Bitterfly Conservation. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.