Rowley Lodge Field facts for kids

Rowley Lodge Field is a special place in Arkley, located in the London Borough of Barnet. It's officially recognized as a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade II. This means it's a really important area for nature and wildlife in the local community.

Rowley Lodge Field: A Special Nature Spot

Rowley Lodge Field is an old hay meadow. This type of meadow has been around for a long time. It has not been heavily farmed or changed by people. This makes it a great home for many different plants and animals.

What Makes It Special?

The field is full of beautiful wild flowers. It also has scattered oak trees. These trees provide shade and homes for birds and insects. The mix of flowers, grasses, and trees creates a rich habitat.

The grassland here is very diverse. It has many types of wild flowers. These flowers are typical of natural, untouched grasslands. This means the field is very healthy.

Plants You Might See

You can find many interesting plants in Rowley Lodge Field. Some of these include:

• Great Burnet: This plant has dark red, oval-shaped flowers. It likes damp meadows.
• Pignut: This plant has small, white flowers. It grows from a tasty, edible root.

Both great burnet and pignut show that the grassland is "unimproved." This means it's very natural. It hasn't been changed by modern farming methods.

Some parts of the field have "acid grassland." This type of soil is slightly acidic. It is home to different kinds of plants.

• Red Fescue: This grass is very common in acid grassland. It forms dense patches.
• Sheep's Sorrel: This plant has small, reddish flowers. It often grows in poor, acidic soils.
• Tormentil: This plant has small, yellow flowers. It is also found in acid grasslands.

These plants show the different types of habitats within the field.

How to Visit

You can easily visit Rowley Lodge Field. There is a public footpath that leads to it. To get there, find Rowley Lane. It is near the junction with Rowley Green Road. Look for a stile on your left. A stile is a set of steps for climbing over a fence. This stile leads to another footpath. This path goes right through Rowley Lodge Field. The path continues to a small wood. After the wood, it leads to Brickfield Lane. It's a great place for a walk!

Images for kids

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  A view of Rowley Lodge Field.

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  Another look at the open spaces in the field.