Long Dole Wood and Meadows SSSI facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
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| Area of Search | Avon |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Long Dole Wood and Meadows is a really special place for nature in Bath and North East Somerset, England. It's known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means it's a protected area because it has important plants, animals, or geological features. This SSSI covers about 9.8 hectares, which is like 18 football fields! It was officially recognized as an SSSI in 1987.
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Long Dole Wood and Meadows: A Special Place for Nature
This SSSI is located between two villages called Farrington Gurney and Hinton Blewitt. It's a fantastic spot for nature lovers because it protects unique habitats. An SSSI is a place where scientists have found something very important about nature. It could be rare plants, special animals, or interesting rocks. Protecting these areas helps keep our planet healthy.
Hollow Marsh Nature Reserve
Most of the Long Dole Wood and Meadows SSSI is actually part of the Hollow Marsh nature reserve. This reserve is looked after by the Somerset Wildlife Trust, a group that works to protect wildlife. The reserve covers about 7.9 hectares. It used to be called Holly Marsh.
The meadows at Hollow Marsh are grazed by animals in the summer. This helps to keep the grass healthy and allows special plants like heath grass, sedges, and beautiful orchids to grow.
Amazing Plants and Trees
Long Dole Wood and Meadows is located in a valley. This valley was formed by a small river that flows into the Cam Brook. The wet ground here creates a perfect home for two types of neutral grassland. These grasslands are quite rare in Britain.
The site also has two areas of very old woodland. These woods have trees like ash, oak, hazel, and wych elm. You can see signs that these trees have been coppiced. Coppicing is an old way of managing woods where trees are cut down to ground level. This makes them grow many new shoots, which can be harvested later. It also helps sunlight reach the woodland floor, allowing more plants to grow. One special plant found here is called Solomon's seal.
The Marsh Fritillary Butterfly
When Long Dole Wood and Meadows was first made an SSSI, it was home to many marsh fritillary butterflies. These beautiful butterflies are known for their orange, black, and cream patterns. They are quite rare in the UK.
Sadly, the number of marsh fritillary butterflies at this site started to go down in the late 1900s. Now, this species is no longer found here. This shows how important it is to protect these special places so that all kinds of wildlife can thrive.
