Fremington Local Nature Reserve facts for kids
Fremington Local Nature Reserve is a special natural area in North Devon, England. It's found between the towns of Bideford and Barnstaple. This reserve was officially named a Local Nature Reserve in 2006. It's made up of two separate parts: Lovell's Field and Leat Meadow. Both of these areas are also recognized as County Wildlife Sites. They are also part of the larger North Devon Biosphere Reserve, which is a unique area recognized by UNESCO for its important natural environment.
Exploring Lovell's Field
51°04′21″N 4°07′22″W / 51.0724°N 4.1228°W Lovell's Field is a large area of land, about 4.1 hectares (10 acres) in size. It's a type of wetland called coastal and floodplain grazing marsh. This means it's often wet and is used for animals to graze. North Devon Council owns this part of the reserve.
To help keep the field healthy and prevent it from becoming overgrown, cattle were brought back to graze there in 2009. This grazing helps to keep the grass short and creates good conditions for different plants and animals.
In 2011, some trees were removed from the main part of the field. This was done to stop the ground from drying out too much. It also helped to create a better home for birds that live near estuaries (where a river meets the sea).
To make the reserve even better for wildlife, a "scrape" was built at Lovell's Field in 2016. A scrape is a shallow dip in the ground that collects water, creating a small wetland area. This helps to attract more different kinds of animals and plants.
Discovering Leat Meadow
51°04′06″N 4°07′36″W / 51.0683°N 4.1268°W Leat Meadow is the second part of the reserve, covering about 3 ha (7.4 acres). This area has a mix of different habitats. It includes neutral grassland, which is a type of meadow. It also has wet woodland, which is a forest area that stays damp. Lastly, there's hazel coppice, which means hazel trees that are cut back regularly to encourage new growth.
Local volunteers help to cut the meadows every year. This helps to keep the grassland healthy and stops it from becoming too dense.
To help protect a small, shy animal called the Hazel dormouse, special dormouse boxes have been placed in the woodland. These boxes give the dormice safe places to live and raise their young.
In 2019, a new pond was dug at Leat Meadow. Both the scrape at Lovell's Field and this new pond were created to add more types of habitats to the reserve. This helps to increase the variety of wildlife that can live there.
