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.

The Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a special charity that protects nature in Suffolk, England. It's the only group completely focused on keeping Suffolk's wild animals, plants, and countryside safe. The Trust started in 1961 and is part of a bigger group of 46 wildlife trusts across the United Kingdom. As of 2017, it had over 13,000 members. The SWT looks after 60 nature reserves, covering a huge area of land (about 3,120 hectares or 7,700 acres). Most of these places are open for everyone to visit and explore.

Suffolk is a county in eastern England, next to the North Sea. It's known for its beautiful coast, with many rivers flowing into the sea. These areas have lots of wetlands and marshes, which are important homes for wildlife. The Suffolk Wildlife Trust plays a big role in protecting these special places.

Many of the SWT's nature reserves are very important for wildlife. For example, nine of them are "Ramsar sites," which means they are wetlands recognized as important around the world. Thirty-one are "Sites of Special Scientific Interest" (SSSI), meaning they have rare plants, animals, or geology. Some are even "National Nature Reserves." These special titles show how valuable these places are for nature.

Understanding Our Nature Reserves

To help you understand more about the nature reserves, here are some important words and what they mean.

Discover Suffolk's Nature Reserves

Site Name	Picture	Size (Hectares)	Location	Public Access	Special Status	What Makes it Special
Alde Mudflats		22	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 long stretch of mud and saltmarsh is a key home for many birds. You can find avocets, black-tailed godwits, and oystercatchers here. Marsh harriers and various ducks also visit.
Arger Fen and Spouse's Vale		110	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 reserve has old and new woodlands, plus wet fen meadows. It's home to many badgers, and rare animals like hazel dormice and barbastelle bats. Butterflies like speckled woods also fly here.
Black Bourn Valley		88	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 flows through this large reserve. Many birds live here, including barn owls, yellowhammers, and skylarks. In the wet meadows, you can find beautiful marsh orchids.
Blaxhall Common		44	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 heathland is covered in heather, which supports many lichens and mosses. Rabbits graze the grassy areas. Birds like nightjars and tree pipits enjoy this open space.
Bonny Wood		20	Ipswich 52°07′52″N 1°01′55″E / 52.131°N 1.032°E / 52.131; 1.032 (Bonny Wood)	YES	SSSI	This coppiced wood is famous for its orchids, including early-purples and greater butterflies. Many birds, badgers, and deer also live here.
Bradfield Woods		63	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 been managed for hundreds of years, leading to a huge variety of plants. Over 370 plant species have been found, including rare woodland flowers like oxlip.
Bromeswell Green		7.2	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 woodlands, saltmarsh, and wet meadows. You can find wetland plants like southern marsh orchid. Nightingales sing in the woods, and many butterflies fly along the paths.
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 main office for the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It has gardens with fruit trees and a pond. Water voles have been seen enjoying the pond here.
Bull's Wood		12	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	This wood is home to early-purple orchids and rare oxlips. You might spot roe deer and marsh tits. Butterflies like gatekeepers and orange tips also flutter through.
Captain's Wood		62	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, grassy areas, and bushes. A group of fallow deer helps keep the land open. You can also see barn owls, buzzards, old oak trees, and many bluebells.
Carlton and Oulton Marshes		151	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	Rare fen raft spiders were released here in 2012 to help their population grow. Meat-eating bladderwort plants also live in the water. Many birds of prey, like marsh harriers, hunt here.
Castle Marshes		71	Beccles 52°28′N 1°38′E / 52.46°N 1.63°E / 52.46; 1.63 (Castle Marshes)	NO	Ramsar, SAC, SPA, SSSI	This site has fen, freshwater ditches, and grazing marshes. Many ducks and geese live here, joined by more in winter. Rare dragonflies like the scarce chaser also breed here.
Church Farm Marshes		56	Halesworth 52°19′N 1°33′E / 52.31°N 1.55°E / 52.31; 1.55 (Church Farm Marshes)	YES		This site has marshland, wet and dry woodlands, and grasslands. The marshes are full of flowers like southern marsh orchid. Grazing animals help keep the meadows healthy for insects and birds.
Combs Wood		17	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 an ancient coppice woodland with different soil types. Some areas have many ground flowers, while others are sparser. Grassy paths and a pond create homes for many small creatures.
Cornard Mere		6	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 many different habitats, including fen, woodland, and grassland. You can find flowers like water mint and southern marsh orchid here.
Darsham Marshes		20	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 ponds and ditches. It's home to many different plants and animals. You can see flowers like ragged-robin and yellow flag. Marsh harriers and otters also live here.
Dingle Marshes		93	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 biggest freshwater reedbeds in Britain. It also has pools, shingle, heath, and woodland. Otters and Exmoor ponies live here, along with birds like bearded tits and bitterns.
Dunwich Forest		270	Dunwich 52°17′N 1°37′E / 52.28°N 1.62°E / 52.28; 1.62 (Dunwich Forest)	YES		The Trust is changing this old conifer forest into a mix of woodlands, heathland, and wet areas. You might see siskins, adders, noctule bats, red deer, and white admiral butterflies here.
Fox Fritillary Meadow		2.4	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 untouched meadow has many different flowers. It's especially known for having the largest group of rare snake's head fritillaries in East Anglia.
Foxburrow Farm		67	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 managed in a wildlife-friendly way. It also has special habitats and an education center. Little owls and spotted flycatchers live here, and great crested newts are in the ponds.
Framlingham Mere		13.8	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 next to Framlingham Castle. Many migrating birds visit, and you can find flowers like marsh marigolds and ragged-robin.
Groton Wood		20	Hadleigh 52°02′53″N 0°52′48″E / 52.048°N 0.88°E / 52.048; 0.88 (Groton Wood)	YES	SSSI	Fifteen types of butterflies have been seen in this wood, including brimstones and purple hairstreaks. It has many wild cherry trees and seasonal ponds, home to protected great crested newts.
Gunton Meadow		2	Lowestoft 52°30′11″N 1°44′17″E / 52.503°N 1.738°E / 52.503; 1.738 (Gunton Meadow)	YES		This meadow was saved from being built on. It has bushes, a pond, and grassland. You can find five types of orchids here, and great crested newts live in the pond.
Gunton Warren		25	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 with sand dunes, shingle, and heathland. Rare migrating birds like icterine and yellow-browed warblers sometimes visit here.
Hazlewood Marshes		64	Aldeburgh 52°10′N 1°34′E / 52.17°N 1.57°E / 52.17; 1.57 (Hazlewood Marshes)	YES	SSSI	This area used to be a freshwater lagoon. In 2013, a big tidal surge flooded it with seawater. Now, it's changing into a salt marsh, attracting birds like black-tailed godwits and avocets.
Hen Reedbeds		55	Southwold 52°20′N 1°38′E / 52.34°N 1.63°E / 52.34; 1.63 (Hen Reedbeds)	YES	NNR, Ramsar, SCHAONB, SSSI	This reserve has a mix of wetlands, including reedbeds and fens. It was created to be a breeding place for bitterns. Otters, water voles, and marsh harriers also live here.
Hopton Fen		15	Diss 52°22′41″N 0°55′19″E / 52.378°N 0.922°E / 52.378; 0.922 (Hopton Fen)	YES	SSSI	This fen is mostly covered in reeds and has many different plants, like devil's bit scabious. The Trust is working to improve the site by digging new pools and using grazing animals.
Hutchison's Meadow		1	Woodbridge 52°06′11″N 1°19′41″E / 52.103°N 1.328°E / 52.103; 1.328 (Hutchison's Meadow)	NO		This meadow has both wet and dry grassy areas. It's rich in flowering plants, such as southern marsh orchid in wet spots and yellow rattle in drier ones.
Knettishall Heath		176	Diss 52°23′N 0°53′E / 52.39°N 0.89°E / 52.39; 0.89 (Knettishall Heath)	YES	SSSI	This site has heathland and grassland, with some woodlands and wet areas. You can find heathland plants like sheep's sorrel and harebell. Wet areas have fen plants like water mint.
Lackford Lakes		131	Bury St Edmunds 52°18′N 0°38′E / 52.3°N 0.64°E / 52.3; 0.64 (Lackford Lakes)	YES	SSSI	These lakes used to be sand and gravel pits. They are now home to many dragonflies and birds. Many birds breed here or spend the winter, including important numbers of gadwalls.
Levington Lagoon		5	Ipswich 52°00′11″N 1°15′32″E / 52.003°N 1.259°E / 52.003; 1.259 (Levington Lagoon)	NO		This lagoon and saltmarsh formed when the sea wall broke in a flood. It's a great place for birds like greenshanks and dunlins. You can also find sea lavender plants here.
Lound Lakes		113	Great Yarmouth 52°33′N 1°42′E / 52.55°N 1.7°E / 52.55; 1.7 (Lound Lakes)	YES		This site has open water, woodland, grassland, and fen meadows. Over 140 bird species have been seen here, including hobbies, geese, and ducks. Brown long-eared bats also live here.
Market Weston Fen		37	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 fen is fed by springs and has a rich variety of plants. Saw sedge and blunt-flowered rush are common. It's also home to many different dragonflies and damselflies.
Martins' Meadows		4	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 meadow has many different flowers, including meadow saffron and green-winged orchid. It's considered one of the best examples of its kind in the county.
Mellis Common		59	Eye 52°20′N 1°05′E / 52.33°N 1.08°E / 52.33; 1.08 (Mellis Common)	YES		This common has stayed much the same for hundreds of years. It's managed by traditional grazing and hay cutting. You can find green-winged orchids here, and owls hunt small animals.
Mickfield Meadow		1.7	Stowmarket 52°13′34″N 1°08′10″E / 52.226°N 1.136°E / 52.226; 1.136 (Mickfield Meadow)	YES	SSSI	This meadow has never had fertilizers or weed killers, so it has many different flowers, including fritillary. It's a great example of a healthy, untouched meadow.
Mickle Mere		17	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 site has open water and wet meadows, with many different birds like lapwings and little egrets. Water voles and otters also live here.
Newbourne Springs		19	Woodbridge 52°02′28″N 1°18′50″E / 52.041°N 1.314°E / 52.041; 1.314 (Newbourne Springs)	YES	SSSI	This site is a narrow valley with a fast-flowing stream. It has different types of habitats, from wet fen to dry grassland. Many birds, like treecreepers and nuthatches, breed here.
Norah Hanbury-Kelk Meadows		8	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 ditches have many different flowers, such as southern marsh orchids and lady's smock. Birds like snipe and ducks also visit.
North Cove		15.5	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	This site has wet woodland, grazing marsh, and ponds. You can see sparrowhawks, woodcocks, and all three types of woodpeckers. Rare marsh ferns also grow here.
Old Broom		6.5	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 piece of an ancient wood-pasture landscape with very old oak trees. The old wood and hollow centers of these trees provide homes for fungi and insects.
Papermill Reedbed		6	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 turned this dry grassland into a wetland. Many dragonflies and damselflies now live in the water-filled ditches. Water voles and otters also use these areas.
Redgrave and Lopham Fens		163	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 fen has different types of wetland plants. It's known for having the only population of fen raft spiders in Britain. The plants here show that the water is very clean.
Reydon Wood		16	Southwold 52°21′04″N 1°38′24″E / 52.351°N 1.64°E / 52.351; 1.64 (Reydon Wood)	YES		This wood has many old ash and hornbeam trees. You can find many wildflowers and birds here. Butterflies like ringlets and orange tips also fly around.
Roydon Fen		17.2	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 once covered by wet woodland, but the SWT has restored part of it to fen. It now has many typical fen plants like marsh helleborine.
Simpson's Saltings		25	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 Trust calls this one of the most important coastal sites for its rare coastal and saltmarsh plants. It also has rare lichens.
Sizewell Belts		144	Leiston 52°13′N 1°35′E / 52.22°N 1.59°E / 52.22; 1.59 (Sizewell Belts)	YES	SCHAONB, SSSI	These wet meadows are important for their amazing variety of insects, including many rare species. They are also nationally important for birds that breed in wet grasslands.
Snape Marshes		19.8	Saxmundham 52°09′54″N 1°30′04″E / 52.165°N 1.501°E / 52.165; 1.501 (Snape Marshes)	FP		This reserve has different habitats, including reed marshes, dry heath, and oak woodland. All four types of reptiles found in the county live here: adders, common lizards, grass snakes, and slowworms.
Sutton and Hollesley Commons		400	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 areas are remnants of old heathlands, with dry grass and heather. They also have areas of bracken and woodlands. Long-eared owls breed here, and hen harriers rest in winter.
Thelnetham Fen		8.8	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 has many wild flowers, including saw sedge and the rare grass-of-parnassus. The reed beds along the river provide nesting spots for migrating birds like sedge and reed warblers.
Trimley Marshes		77	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's home to a rich variety of birds, such as redshanks, avocets, and oystercatchers.
Wangford Warren		15	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 with special grasses. It's one of only two inland places in Britain with grey hair-grass. Rare solitary bees and wasps also burrow in the sand.
Winks Meadow		1.4	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 is on an old airfield and has untouched grassland. It has many different flowers, including green-winged orchids and cowslips. Cattle grazing helps keep the wild flowers diverse.