Suffolk Wildlife Trust facts for kids

Hazlewood Marshes was a freshwater lagoon until a tidal surge broke through the sea wall and flooded the site with seawater.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) describes itself as the county's "nature charity – the only organisation dedicated wholly to safeguarding Suffolk's wildlife and countryside." It is a registered charity, and its headquarters is at Brooke House in Ashbocking, near Ipswich. It was founded in 1961, and is one of 46 wildlife trusts covering the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As of March 2017, it has 13,200 members, and it manages 3,120 hectares (7,700 acres) of land in 60 nature reserves, most of which are open to the public. It had an income of £3.9 million in the year to 31 March 2017.

Suffolk is a county in East Anglia. It is bounded by Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west, Essex to the south and the North Sea to the east. With an area of 1,466 square miles (3,800 km²), it is the eighth largest county in England, and in mid-2016 the population was 745,000. The top level of local government is Suffolk County Council, and below it are five borough and district councils: Babergh, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, East Suffolk, West Suffolk. Much of the coast consists of the estuaries of the Orwell, Stour, Alde, Deben and Blyth rivers, with large areas of wetlands and marshes. Agriculture and shipping play a major role in the county's economy.

The whole or part of nine SWT reserves are Ramsar internationally important wetland sites, thirty-one are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, four are National Nature Reserves, ten are Special Protection Areas, ten are Special Areas of Conservation, seven are Nature Conservation Review sites, one contains a Scheduled Monument and three are Local Nature Reserves. One SWT reserve is in Dedham Vale, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and seven are in another AONB, Suffolk Coast and Heaths.

Key

Sites

Site	Photograph	Area	Location	Public access	Designations	Description
Alde Mudflats		22 hectares (54 acres)	Aldeburgh 52°09′07″N 1°30′18″E / 52.152°N 1.505°E / 52.152; 1.505 (Alde Mudflats)	NO	NCR, Ramsar, SAC, SCHAONB, SPA, SSSI	This 3-mile (4.8-kilometre) stretch of inter-tidal mud and saltmarsh supports internationally important numbers of avocets, and other birds include black-tailed godwits, oystercatchers, marsh harriers, pintails, wigeons and grey plovers.
Arger Fen and Spouse's Vale		110 hectares (270 acres)	Sudbury 51°59′N 0°49′E / 51.99°N 0.81°E / 51.99; 0.81 (Arger Fen and Spouse's Vale)	YES	DVAONB, LNR, SSSI	This site has ancient and young woodland, and areas of fen meadow. There is a large population of badgers, and uncommon fauna include hazel dormice and barbastelle bats. There are butterflies such as speckled woods, meadow browns and holly blues.
Black Bourn Valley		88 hectares (220 acres)	Bury St Edmunds 52°15′N 0°50′E / 52.25°N 0.84°E / 52.25; 0.84 (Black Bourn Valley)	YES		The River Black Bourn runs through this large nature reserve, which has many bird species, such as barn owls, yellowhammers, linnets, reed buntings and skylarks. Plants in wet meadows include marsh orchids and marsh marigolds.
Blaxhall Common		44 hectares (110 acres)	Woodbridge 52°09′22″N 1°28′52″E / 52.156°N 1.481°E / 52.156; 1.481 (Blaxhall Common)	YES	SCHAONB, SM, SPA, SSSI	This dry lowland heath has large areas of heather which supports diverse lichens and mosses, and other areas of grassland which are grazed by rabbits. Heathland birds include nightjars and tree pipits.
Bonny Wood		20 hectares (49 acres)	Ipswich 52°07′52″N 1°01′55″E / 52.131°N 1.032°E / 52.131; 1.032 (Bonny Wood)	YES	SSSI	Orchids in this coppiced wood include early-purples, lesser twayblades, common spotteds and greater butterflies. There are many birds, badgers and deer.
Bradfield Woods		63 hectares (160 acres)	Bury St Edmunds 52°11′N 0°50′E / 52.19°N 0.83°E / 52.19; 0.83 (Bradfield Woods)	YES	NNR, SSSI	These woods have a history of coppicing dating to before 1252, producing a very high diversity of flora, with over 370 plant species recorded. Uncommon woodland flowers include oxlip, herb paris and ramson. There is also a rich variety of fungi, with two species not recorded elsewhere in Britain.
Bromeswell Green		7.2 hectares (18 acres)	Woodbridge 52°06′18″N 1°21′04″E / 52.105°N 1.351°E / 52.105; 1.351 (Bromeswell Green)	YES		This site has woodland, saltmarsh and wet meadows. Wetland plants include lesser spearwort, fen bedstraw and southern marsh orchid, the woodland has birds such as nightingales and whitethroats, and rides have many species of butterfly.
Brooke House		Not available	Ipswich 52°08′35″N 1°11′20″E / 52.143°N 1.189°E / 52.143; 1.189 (Brooke House)	YES		Brooke House is the headquarters of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It was left to the trust by Mary Brooke. It has gardens with fruit trees and a pond, where water voles have been observed.
Bull's Wood		12 hectares (30 acres)	Bury St Edmunds 52°09′32″N 0°48′11″E / 52.159°N 0.803°E / 52.159; 0.803 (Bull's Wood)	YES	SSSI	Flora in this wood include early-purple orchids, herb-paris and the uncommon oxlips. There are roe deer, marsh tits, and butterflies such as gatekeepers, speckled woods and orange tips.
Captain's Wood		62 hectares (150 acres)	Sudbourne 52°07′N 1°32′E / 52.12°N 1.54°E / 52.12; 1.54 (Captain's Wood)	YES		This site has woodland, rough grassland and scrub. A herd of fallow deer helps to keep the land open, and there are also barn owls, buzzards, mature oak trees and many bluebells.
Carlton and Oulton Marshes		151 hectares (370 acres)	Lowestoft 52°28′N 1°41′E / 52.47°N 1.69°E / 52.47; 1.69 (Carlton and Oulton Marshes)	PP	Ramsar, SAC, SPA, SSSI	Semi-aquatic fen raft spiders were released on the site in 2012 to boost the low British population, and underwater insectiverous bladderworts trap water fleas. Birds of prey include marsh harriers, barn owls and hobbies, and there are many wintering wildfowl and breeding waders.
Castle Marshes		71 hectares (180 acres)	Beccles 52°28′N 1°38′E / 52.46°N 1.63°E / 52.46; 1.63 (Castle Marshes)	NO	Ramsar, SAC, SPA, SSSI	The site has fen, freshwater dykes and grazing marshes. Resident wildfowl include wigeons, gadwalls, teals and shovelers are joined in winter by migrants when the marshes are flooded. Scarce chaser and the nationally rare Norfolk hawker dragonflies breed on the site, and there are blue-tailed damselflies.
Church Farm Marshes		56 hectares (140 acres)	Halesworth 52°19′N 1°33′E / 52.31°N 1.55°E / 52.31; 1.55 (Church Farm Marshes)	YES		This site has areas of marshland, wet and dry woodland, and grassland. The flower-rich marshes have southern marsh orchid, marsh marigold and ragged robin. Grazing maintains diversity of flora in the meadows and marshes, ensuring a good population of insects, which provide food for birds.
Combs Wood		17 hectares (42 acres)	Stowmarket 52°10′16″N 0°59′56″E / 52.171°N 0.999°E / 52.171; 0.999 (Combs Wood)	YES	SSSI	This is ancient coppice woodland on boulder clay, with variable quantities of sand and loess re-esulting in different soil types. In areas of pedunculate oak and hornbeam the ground flora is sparse, but it is rich and diverse in ash and maple woodland. Grassy rides and a pond provide additional habitats for invertebrates.
Cornard Mere		6 hectares (15 acres)	Sudbury 52°00′50″N 0°44′49″E / 52.014°N 0.747°E / 52.014; 0.747 (Cornard Mere)	YES	SSSI	This site has diverse habitats, with fen which is seasonally flooded, ruderal herb vegetation, woodland, grassland and scrub. Flora include water mint, gypsywort, skullcap, ragged robin and southern marsh orchid.
Darsham Marshes		20 hectares (49 acres)	Halesworth 52°16′05″N 1°32′42″E / 52.268°N 1.545°E / 52.268; 1.545 (Darsham Marshes)	YES		This marsh and fen site has two ponds and a network of dykes. The wildlife is diverse and flowering plants include ragged-robin, yellow flag, marsh marigold and southern marsh orchid. There are birds such as marsh harriers and hen harriers, and mammals include otters and water voles.
Dingle Marshes		93 hectares (230 acres)	Dunwich 52°17′N 1°38′E / 52.28°N 1.63°E / 52.28; 1.63 (Dingle Marshes)	YES	NCR, NNR Ramsar, SAC, SCHAONB, SPA, SSSI	This site has the largest freshwater reedbeds in Britain. Other habitats are brackish pools, shingle, heath and woodland. There are otters and Exmoor ponies, and birds include bearded tits, bitterns, marsh harriers and grey plovers.
Dunwich Forest		270 hectares (670 acres)	Dunwich 52°17′N 1°37′E / 52.28°N 1.62°E / 52.28; 1.62 (Dunwich Forest)	YES		The Trust is transforming this former conifer plantation into a mosaic of broad leaved woodland, lowland heath, acid grassland and wet woodland. Fauna include siskins, adders, noctule bats, red deer and white admiral butterflies.
Fox Fritillary Meadow		2.4 hectares (5.9 acres)	Stowmarket 52°12′07″N 1°12′04″E / 52.202°N 1.201°E / 52.202; 1.201 (Fox Fritillary Meadow)	NO	SSSI	This unimproved meadow is located on heavy alluvial soils at the bottom of a valley. It has a rich variety of flora, including the herbs cowslip, cuckooflower and ragged robin, together with the largest population in East Anglia of the rare snake's head fritillary.
Foxburrow Farm		67 hectares (170 acres)	Woodbridge 52°07′N 1°19′E / 52.12°N 1.32°E / 52.12; 1.32 (Foxburrow Farm)	YES		Part of this site is a working farm which is managed by a tenant farmer, and it also has wildlife habitats and an education centre. Birds include little owls, spotted flycatchers and pied wagtails, and there are ponds with great crested newts.
Framlingham Mere		13.8 hectares (34 acres)	Framlingham 52°13′23″N 1°20′28″E / 52.223°N 1.341°E / 52.223; 1.341 (Framlingham Mere)	YES		This site has a lake and wet meadows adjoining Framlingham Castle. There are many migrating birds, and flora include marsh marigolds, ragged-robin and lady's smock.
Groton Wood		20 hectares (49 acres)	Hadleigh 52°02′53″N 0°52′48″E / 52.048°N 0.88°E / 52.048; 0.88 (Groton Wood)	YES	SSSI	Fifteen species of butterfly have been recorded in this wood, including brimstones, speckled woods and purple hairstreaks. There are many wild cherry trees, and twenty-two seasonal ponds, which have scarce and protected great crested newts.
Gunton Meadow		2 hectares (4.9 acres)	Lowestoft 52°30′11″N 1°44′17″E / 52.503°N 1.738°E / 52.503; 1.738 (Gunton Meadow)	YES		Gunton Meadow was saved from development as a planning condition for the expansion of a local supermarket. It has scrub, a pond and grassland. There are five species of orchid including the common spotted and green-winged, and great crested newts in the pond.
Gunton Warren		25 hectares (62 acres)	Lowestoft 52°30′00″N 1°45′14″E / 52.5°N 1.754°E / 52.5; 1.754 (Gunton Warren)	YES	LNR	Gunton Warren is a coastal site which has sand dunes, shingle, lowland heath and cliff slopes. Birds include rare migrants such as icterines and yellow-browed warblers.
Hazlewood Marshes		64 hectares (160 acres)	Aldeburgh 52°10′N 1°34′E / 52.17°N 1.57°E / 52.17; 1.57 (Hazlewood Marshes)	YES	SSSI	This was formerly a fresh water lagoon and marshes, but on 5 December 2013 a tidal surge broke through the sea wall and flooded the site with sea water. Whole communities of plants and invertebrates disappeared, and the site is converting to salt marsh, with birds including black-tailed godwits, dunlins, redshanks, lapwings and avocets.
Hen Reedbeds		55 hectares (140 acres)	Southwold 52°20′N 1°38′E / 52.34°N 1.63°E / 52.34; 1.63 (Hen Reedbeds)	YES	NNR, Ramsar, SCHAONB, SSSI	The reserve is a mix of wetland habitats, including reedbeds, fens, dykes and pools. It was designed to provide a breeding site for bitterns. Other fauna include marsh harriers, herons, bearded tits, four-spotted chaser dragonflies, hairy dragonflies, otters and water voles.
Hopton Fen		15 hectares (37 acres)	Diss 52°22′41″N 0°55′19″E / 52.378°N 0.922°E / 52.378; 0.922 (Hopton Fen)	YES	SSSI	This reed-dominated fen has diverse flora, including devil's bit scabious, black bog-rush, bogbean and early marsh orchid. The Trust is improving the site by excavating new pools, and introducing grazing to restore the open landscape.
Hutchison's Meadow		1 hectare (2.5 acres)	Woodbridge 52°06′11″N 1°19′41″E / 52.103°N 1.328°E / 52.103; 1.328 (Hutchison's Meadow)	NO		This is mixture of wet and dry grassland. It has diverse flowering plants such as southern marsh orchid, common fleabane and ragged robin in wet areas, and yellow rattle and bulbous buttercup in drier ones.
Knettishall Heath		176 hectares (430 acres)	Diss 52°23′N 0°53′E / 52.39°N 0.89°E / 52.39; 0.89 (Knettishall Heath)	YES	SSSI	The site is heath and grassland, mainly on acidic soils, with areas of secondary woodland and wet hollows. There are heathland plants such as sheep's sorrel, tormentil, harebell and heath bedstraw, while wet areas have fen vegetation including water mint and yellow iris.
Lackford Lakes		131 hectares (320 acres)	Bury St Edmunds 52°18′N 0°38′E / 52.3°N 0.64°E / 52.3; 0.64 (Lackford Lakes)	YES	SSSI	The lakes are disused sand and gravel pits in the valley of the River Lark. There are diverse dragonfly species, and many breeding and overwintering birds, including nationally important numbers of gadwalls and shovellers. Skylarks breed on dry grassland, and lapwings in marshy meadows.
Levington Lagoon		5 hectares (12 acres)	Ipswich 52°00′11″N 1°15′32″E / 52.003°N 1.259°E / 52.003; 1.259 (Levington Lagoon)	NO		This area of open water and saltmarsh on the bank of the River Orwell was formed when the sea wall was breached during the North Sea flood of 1953. The birds are diverse, including greenshanks, dunlins, spotted redshanks, pipits and dunlins. There are plants such as sea lavender.
Lound Lakes		113 hectares (280 acres)	Great Yarmouth 52°33′N 1°42′E / 52.55°N 1.7°E / 52.55; 1.7 (Lound Lakes)	YES		Habitats in this site include open water, woodland, grassland, rush pasture and fen meadow. More than 140 bird species have been recorded there, including hobbies, geese, ducks, reed warblers, gadwalls and oystercatchers. Brown long-eared and noctule bats are also present.
Market Weston Fen		37 hectares (91 acres)	Diss 52°22′19″N 0°54′43″E / 52.372°N 0.912°E / 52.372; 0.912 (Market Weston Fen)	YES	SAC, SSSI	This spring-fed valley fen has a high and stable water table, and as a result it has a rich and varied flora. The dominant plants in the central fen area are saw sedge, the reed Phragmites australis and blunt-flowered rush. Other habitats include tall fen grassland, heath and a stream. There are many dragonflies and damselflies.
Martins' Meadows		4 hectares (9.9 acres)	Woodbridge 52°10′05″N 1°15′14″E / 52.168°N 1.254°E / 52.168; 1.254 (Martins' Meadows)	YES	NCR, SSSI	This site has rich flora, and it is described by Natural England as probably the best example in the county of unimproved calcareous clay and neutral grassland. The herb species are especially diverse, including meadow saffron and green-winged orchid, and there are ancient fruit trees.
Mellis Common		59 hectares (150 acres)	Eye 52°20′N 1°05′E / 52.33°N 1.08°E / 52.33; 1.08 (Mellis Common)	YES		The common has changed little over hundreds of years, and is still managed by traditional methods of grazing and hay cutting. Flora include green-winged orchid, sulphur clover and adder's tongue fern, and owls hunt small mammals.
Mickfield Meadow		1.7 hectares (4.2 acres)	Stowmarket 52°13′34″N 1°08′10″E / 52.226°N 1.136°E / 52.226; 1.136 (Mickfield Meadow)	YES	SSSI	Fertilisers and herbicides have never been used on this meadow, and as a result it has a rich variety of flora, including fritillary. The dominant grasses are meadow foxtail, cocksfoot, false oat-grass, timothy and Yorkshire fog.
Mickle Mere		17 hectares (42 acres)	Bury St Edmunds 52°17′24″N 0°50′20″E / 52.29°N 0.839°E / 52.29; 0.839 (Mickle Mere)	YES		This area of open water and wet meadows has diverse bird life such as lapwings, kestrels, little egrets and reed buntings, and mammals include water voles and otters.
Newbourne Springs		19 hectares (47 acres)	Woodbridge 52°02′28″N 1°18′50″E / 52.041°N 1.314°E / 52.041; 1.314 (Newbourne Springs)	YES	SSSI	Most of this site is a narrow valley with a fast-flowing stream with alder carr and fen. Drier and more acidic soils have grassland, woodland, scrub and bracken heath. The site is actively managed, producing diverse flora and many breeding and migratory birds such as treecreepers, nuthatches and sedge warblers.
Norah Hanbury-Kelk Meadows		8 hectares (20 acres)	Bury St Edmunds 52°20′13″N 0°30′47″E / 52.337°N 0.513°E / 52.337; 0.513 (Norah Hanbury-Kelk Meadows)	YES		These wet meadows and dykes have diverse flora, such as southern marsh orchids, lady's smock, early marsh orchid and greater bird's foot trefoil. Birds include snipe and ducks.
North Cove		15.5 hectares (38 acres)	Beccles 52°27′25″N 1°38′10″E / 52.457°N 1.636°E / 52.457; 1.636 (North Cove)	YES	Ramsar, SAC, SPA, SSSI	The site has wet woodland, grazing marsh, ponds and dykes. There are birds such as sparrowhawks, woodcocks, redpolls, siskins and the three species of woodpecker. Flora include opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage, bog pimpernel and the nationally scarce marsh fern.
Old Broom		6.5 hectares (16 acres)	Bury St Edmunds 52°16′30″N 0°38′24″E / 52.275°N 0.64°E / 52.275; 0.64 (Old Broom)	NO		This is a remnant of an ancient wood-pasture landscape with oak pollards between 250 and 500 years old. The dead wood and hollow centres of these trees provide a habitat for fungi and invertebrates, while the bark hosts mosses and lichens.
Papermill Reedbed		6 hectares (15 acres)	Ipswich 52°05′31″N 1°06′14″E / 52.092°N 1.104°E / 52.092; 1.104 (Papermill Reedbed)	YES		The SWT has restored this area of dry grassland of low ecological value by installing water control measures to create wetland. Several species of dragonfly and damselfly have colonised the water-filled ditches, and they are used by water voles and otters.
Redgrave and Lopham Fens		163 hectares (400 acres)	Diss 52°23′N 1°01′E / 52.38°N 1.01°E / 52.38; 1.01 (Redgrave and Lopham Fen)	YES	NCR, NNR, Ramsar, SAC SSSI	This spring-fed valley at the head of the River Waveney has several different types of fen vegetation. There are aquatic plants such as bladderwort, fen pondweed and Charophytes, all of which are indicators of low levels of pollution. The site has the only British population of fen raft spiders.
Reydon Wood		16 hectares (40 acres)	Southwold 52°21′04″N 1°38′24″E / 52.351°N 1.64°E / 52.351; 1.64 (Reydon Wood)	YES		This conifer wood has many old ash and hornbeam stools. There are many wildflowers and birds, and butterflies such as ringlet, gatekeeper and orange tip.
Roydon Fen		17.2 hectares (43 acres)	Diss 52°22′30″N 1°05′06″E / 52.375°N 1.085°E / 52.375; 1.085 (Roydon Fen)	YES	LNR	This site was taken over by wet woodland in the twentieth century, but the SWT has restored the eastern end to fen by mowing, and it has many typical fen plants such as marsh helleborine, marsh fragrant orchid and sawsedge.
Simpson's Saltings		25 hectares (62 acres)	Woodbridge 52°03′18″N 1°28′26″E / 52.055°N 1.474°E / 52.055; 1.474 (Simpson's Saltings)	NO	NCR, Ramsar, SAC, SCHAONB, SPA, SSSI	The Saltings are described by the Trust as "one of the county's most important coastal sites for its wealth of uncommon coastal and saltmarsh plants." There are also rare lichens. Habitats include intertidal mud, estuary creeks, saltmarsh, compacted sand and shingle.
Sizewell Belts		144 hectares (360 acres)	Leiston 52°13′N 1°35′E / 52.22°N 1.59°E / 52.22; 1.59 (Sizewell Belts)	YES	SCHAONB, SSSI	These unimproved wet meadows are described by Natural England as important for their outstanding assemblages of invertebrates, with many nationally rare and scarce species, and of national significance for its assemblage of breeding birds typical of wet grassland. The aquatic fauna is diverse, including the nationally scarce soft hornwort and fen pondweed.
Snape Marshes		19.8 hectares (49 acres)	Saxmundham 52°09′54″N 1°30′04″E / 52.165°N 1.501°E / 52.165; 1.501 (Snape Marshes)	FP		The diverse habitats in this reserve include reed-filled marshes, dry heath and mature oak woodland. It has all four reptiles found in the county, adders, common lizards, grass snakes and slowworms. Birds include barn owls, hobbies and marsh harriers, and freshwater dykes provide a habitat for otters.
Sutton and Hollesley Commons		400 hectares (990 acres)	Woodbridge 52°04′N 1°25′E / 52.07°N 1.41°E / 52.07; 1.41 (Sutton and Hollesley Commons)	YES	SCHAONB, SPA, SSSI	These remnants of the Sandlings Heaths consist of dry grass and heather heathland, together with areas of bracken, scrub and pine and birch woodland. Breeding birds include long-eared owls, and hen harriers roost there in the winter.
Thelnetham Fen		8.8 hectares (22 acres)	Diss 52°22′05″N 0°57′40″E / 52.368°N 0.961°E / 52.368; 0.961 (Thelnetham Fen)	YES	NCR, SAC SSSI	This wet fen site has many wild flowers, including saw sedge, black bog rush and the rare grass-of-parnassus. Other habitats include wet woodland and reed beds along the bank of the River Little Ouse. The reed beds provide nesting sites for migrant birds such as sedge, grasshopper and reed warblers.
Trimley Marshes		77 hectares (190 acres)	Felixstowe 51°58′N 1°17′E / 51.97°N 1.29°E / 51.97; 1.29 (Trimley Marshes)	YES	Ramsar, SCHAONB, SPA, SSSI	This site has a reservoir, islands, reedbeds and marshes. It has a rich variety and number of birds, such as redshankss, avocets, oystercatchers, little grebes and gadwalls.
Wangford Warren		15 hectares (37 acres)	Brandon 52°25′34″N 0°35′10″E / 52.426°N 0.586°E / 52.426; 0.586 (Wangford Warren)	PL	NCR, SAC, SPA, SSSI	This dry site has sand dunes and mounds which are stabilised by sand sedge and grasses. It is one of only two inland sites in Britain which has grey hair-grass, and other rare plants include shepherd's cress, bearded fescue and reindeer moss. Uncommon solitary bees and wasps burrow into sand.
Winks Meadow		1.4 hectares (3.5 acres)	Stowmarket 52°22′08″N 1°22′55″E / 52.369°N 1.382°E / 52.369; 1.382 (Winks Meadow)	YES	SSSI	This meadow on a disused airfield is unimproved grassland, with a rich variety of flora on chalky boulder clay. There are many green-winged orchids, cowslips and pepper saxifrages. The meadow is grazed by cattle or cut for hay to maintain the diversity of the wild flowers.