Box Farm Meadows SSSI facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Example - Meadow Clary (Salvia pratensis)
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| Area of Search | Gloucestershire |
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| Coordinates | 51°41′47″N 2°11′46″W / 51.69633°N 2.196°W |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 8.3 hectare |
| Notification | 1985 |
Box Farm Meadows (also known as the Stuart Fawkes Reserve) is a special natural area in Gloucestershire, England. It covers about 8.3 hectares, which is roughly the size of 12 football fields! This site was officially recognized in 1985 as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). An SSSI is a place that has special plants, animals, or geology, and it is protected by law.
This reserve used to be called Balls Green Pastures. It is located near the village of Box and about a mile east of Nailsworth. The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust owns and looks after this important area. They bought the land in 1978. It was named in honor of Mr. F. S. Fawkes, who was a local naturalist and helped start the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Many organizations helped buy the land, including the World-wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC).
Contents
What Makes This Place Special?
This reserve has two main meadows. It is home to one of the largest groups of a rare plant called Meadow Clary in the United Kingdom. The ground here is made of special rocks called Inferior Oolitic limestone and Fuller's Earth. The meadows face south, so they get lots of sunshine.
Underneath the meadows, there are old mine tunnels. These mines used to dig up high-quality freestone. This stone was used to build many buildings in the nearby Stroud area.
Amazing Plants of Box Farm Meadows
The star of Box Farm Meadows is the Meadow Clary. Its flowers are a bright blue and they bloom in June and July. It's a beautiful sight!
Besides the Meadow Clary, you can find many other interesting plants that grow well on limestone grassland. These include:
- Common Rock-rose
- Cowslip
- Lady's Bedstraw
- Common Restharrow
- Dwarf Thistle
- Burnet-saxifrage
- Field Scabious
- Quaking-grass
- Green-winged Orchids
How We Protect This Special Place
Looking after Box Farm Meadows means helping the Meadow Clary spread and grow. It also means making sure all the other wildlife and plants stay healthy.
To keep the meadows in good shape, cattle are allowed to graze there. This helps stop tall, tough grasses from taking over. It also keeps bushes from growing too much. Each year, thistles are cut down. Any ragwort plants, which can be harmful to grazing animals, are pulled out by hand. These actions help the rare plants like Meadow Clary thrive.
Images for kids
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Meadow Clary (Salvia pratensis) in bloom.
