Stoke Common Meadows Nature Reserve
Stoke Common Meadows is an area of natural meadow and seasonal wetland about three kilometers north west of Purton. It has been a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) since 1981 and has been used as a traditional hay growing field through most of its history. It also is the site of part of an old cattle drive and a small woodland copse. This has allowed it to flourish as a haven for wildlife and natural flora. It consists of two wild herb meadows covering 10.2 hectares, two ponds and surrounding hedgerows managed by the Trust.
The site has gentle sloping surface at about ninety meters above sea level. The land has, over hundreds of years of ploughing, built a ridge and furrow surface that provides a wide range of habitats. This also changes over the slope of the meadows as the hydrology shifts providing a wide range of habitat niches in a small area.
Wildlife
Thanks to being kept as a hay field it has been mostly uninterrupted and has allowed a wide range of wild flowers and grasses such as, Sweet Vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), Red Fescue (Festuca rubra), Common Bent (Agrostis capillaries), Crested Dog’s-tail (Cynosurus cristatus), Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus) and Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca). Also present though not quite as common are amounts of Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), Field Wood-rush (Luzula campestris), Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Bugle (Ajuga reptans), Red Clover (Trifolium pretense) and Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca). Rarer plants can also be found that are uncommon in Wiltshire but appear here thanks to its relatively quiet history; these include Devil’s-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), Saw-wort (Serratula tinctoria), Sneezewort (Achillia ptarmica), Pepper-saxifrage (Silaum silaus) and Betony (Stachys officinalis).
There are many other types of plants that occur in the area thanks to the heavy impermeable Oxford Clay. The furrows, thanks to this soil much wetter than the rest of the meadows, provide a different habitat for plants and wildlife compared to the ridges of the meadow. This habitat has plants such as Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa), Rough Meadow-grass (Poa trivialis), Compact Rush (Juncus conglomerates), Jointed Rush (Juncus articulatus), Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) and Greater bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus).
The boundary hedgerow contains a variety of woody species including Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), which is vital for the larval form of Brown Hairstreak butterfly (Thecla betulae). Thanks to being almost untouched this hedgerow is one of the few sites that the well camoflaged green larva can feed and pupate undisturbed.
History and Management
It has been a SSSI since 1981 and has been used as a traditional hay growing field through most of its history. It also is the site of part of an old cattle drive and a small woodland copse. In July the hay is cut but other than that there is very little management allowing the site to grow wild. In winter the site can become extremely wet but in summer is significantly drier and is much more accessible.
Other information
Dogs are allowed, but must be on a short leash at all times of year due to grazing animals.
Best time to visit: May to June before July hay is cut
Habitat: Chalk Meadow
Specialities of the Reserve: Pepper-saxifrage, Sweet Vernal Grass, Heath Spotted Orchid, Adder’s-tounge Fern, Bugle, Oxeye Daisy, Common Knapweed.
Location: From Wootton Bassett head north to Purton. From Purton head towards Cricklade. Turn left off main road at sign for Purton Stoke. Go through village, following narrow road (Stoke Common Lane) for 1.5 miles. At the end of the lane there is a small car park, Reserve entrance (kissing gates) and information board. At grid reference SU070904.
