Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Upham Meadow (known locally as Twyning Meadow)
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| Area of Search | Gloucestershire |
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| Coordinates | 52°02′11″N 2°07′18″W / 52.036291°N 2.121679°W |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 104.0 hectare |
| Notification | 1991 |
Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow is a special natural area. It covers about 104 hectares (that's like 250 football fields!). This place is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means it's protected because of its important plants and animals. It's located where Gloucestershire meets Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The area was officially recognized as an SSSI in 1991.
Contents
About Upham Meadow
This amazing natural spot is common land. This means people can usually visit and enjoy it. The meadows are right next to the River Avon. This river forms the border between the counties.
Upham Meadow is looked after to grow hay. Hay is dried grass used to feed animals. Summer Leasow is used for grazing. This means animals like cows can eat the grass there.
A Wet and Wild Home
The land here is mostly grassland. It gets flooded in the winter. This makes it a perfect home for many birds. These birds either spend the winter here or come to have their babies. The area is quite large and has lots of water. There are also ditches and wet spots everywhere. This means there's not much to disturb the wildlife.
Amazing Plants of the Meadow
This special place has many grasses and herbs. These plants love wet, neutral meadows.
Rare and Important Plants
One important plant here is the narrow-leaved water-dropwort. This meadow has one of the biggest groups of this plant in Great Britain. You can also find crested dog's tail and meadow foxtail. Other plants include meadow buttercup, great burnet, and meadow vetchling.
A very rare plant called mousetail also grows here. It's found in only three places in Gloucestershire, and this is one of them!
Birds of the Meadow
Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow are very important for birds. Many birds come here to breed and to spend the winter.
Birds That Live and Breed Here
Birds that have their babies here include redshank, curlew, snipe, and lapwing. The wet areas and ditches are home to other birds. These include reed warbler, sedge warbler, reed bunting, and mallard.
Winter Visitors
In winter, many birds come to the meadow to eat and rest. Large groups of lapwing, dunlin, and golden plover visit. Sometimes, over two thousand golden plovers have been counted here!
You might also see many Bewick's swans. Other birds like snipe, redshank, and curlew also stay here for the winter.
