Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods
Encyclopedia
Decoy Pit, Pools and Woods is a 20.27 hectare (50.08 acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) at Aldermaston Wharf
in the civil parish
of Aldermaston
in the English
county of Berkshire
, notified in 1993.
Located at , the site comprises several habitats including woodland, heathland, grassland and small waterbodies. The site supports the greatest known number of breeding dragonfly
and damselfly
species in Berkshire, and includes alder
woodland types which are nationally uncommon and a declining habitat. The presence of other nationally uncommon species of insect and bird adds to the value of the SSSI.
In the southern part of the site the land slopes gently within an eastward draining gully system, the head of the stream West End Brook
flows through here. The north part of the site, a former gravel pit, now partially infilled and which was abandoned in the early 1980s. The former gravel pit surface has developed into a mosaic of shallow pools, a pond, heathland and scrub. The area supports many wetland plants including bulrush
Typha latifolia, common spike-rush
Eleocharis palustris, as well as a locally scarce species marsh speedwell
Veronica scutellata. Drier areas are dominated by heather Calluna vulgaris and are being colonised by birch
. Adjacent land is primarily secondary birch woodland with heathland, and a small valley bog where purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea is abundant.
Ancient semi-natural woodland occurs in the areas known locally as Brick kiln Gully, Roundwood Gully and Roundwood Copse. The low lying gullies here are permanently waterlogged and support alder woodland. The ground flora is diverse and includes greater tussock-sedge
Carex paniculata and opposite-leaved goldensaxifrage
Chrysosplenium oppositifolium.
Other more commonly occurring woodland types are represented within the SSSI, associated with the middle and upper slopes of the gullies. These areas contain species typical for semi-natural ancient woodland including hard shield-fern
Polystichum aculeatum and Solomon's-seal
Polygonatum multiflorum. A well vegitated pond is located on the north side of Best Gully.
Twenty-three species of dragonfly and damselfly breed within the site. The ponds, streams and shallow pools are used for breeding whilst valuable feeding habitat is provided in the adjacent woodland. Three nationally scarce species are present; the blue-tailed damselfly
Ischnura pumilio, a species known to prefer shallow, newly created pools; the downy emerald
Cordulia aenea and the brilliant emerald
Somatochlora metallica.
The site is associated with a range of rare fauna, including woodlark
and the silverstudded blue butterfly
Plebejus argus, both of which breed in the heathland area. Another scarce species is the Devon carpet moth
Lampropteryx otregiata, which is apparently restricted in Berkshire to this single colony. In winter snipe
and jack snipe
frequent the pools whilst siskins
and redpolls are regularly recorded feeding in the alders.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) at Aldermaston Wharf
Aldermaston Wharf
Aldermaston Wharf is a small settlement situated north-northwest of Aldermaston in the West Berkshire district, part of the English county of Berkshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and Great Western Railway pass through it and Aldermaston railway station and Aldermaston Lock are located here. The A4...
in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Aldermaston
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, notified in 1993.
Located at , the site comprises several habitats including woodland, heathland, grassland and small waterbodies. The site supports the greatest known number of breeding dragonfly
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
and damselfly
Damselfly
Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...
species in Berkshire, and includes alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
woodland types which are nationally uncommon and a declining habitat. The presence of other nationally uncommon species of insect and bird adds to the value of the SSSI.
In the southern part of the site the land slopes gently within an eastward draining gully system, the head of the stream West End Brook
West End Brook
West End Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises near the Hampshire village of Tadley. Its name is probably related to the parish, and village, it passes through for some of its course: Mortimer West End....
flows through here. The north part of the site, a former gravel pit, now partially infilled and which was abandoned in the early 1980s. The former gravel pit surface has developed into a mosaic of shallow pools, a pond, heathland and scrub. The area supports many wetland plants including bulrush
Typha latifolia
Typha latifolia is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Typha. It is found as a native plant species in North and South America, Europe, Eurasia, and Africa...
Typha latifolia, common spike-rush
Eleocharis palustris
Eleocharis palustris Roem. & Schult. is a species of mat-forming perennial plants in the genus Eleocharis growing in wetlands throughout the Boreal Kingdom. E...
Eleocharis palustris, as well as a locally scarce species marsh speedwell
Veronica scutellata
Veronica scutellata is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names marsh speedwell, grassleaf speedwell, and skullcap speedwell. It is native to northern North America, including most of Canada and the northern half of the United States. It occurs in moist and wet...
Veronica scutellata. Drier areas are dominated by heather Calluna vulgaris and are being colonised by birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
. Adjacent land is primarily secondary birch woodland with heathland, and a small valley bog where purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea is abundant.
Ancient semi-natural woodland occurs in the areas known locally as Brick kiln Gully, Roundwood Gully and Roundwood Copse. The low lying gullies here are permanently waterlogged and support alder woodland. The ground flora is diverse and includes greater tussock-sedge
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
Carex paniculata and opposite-leaved goldensaxifrage
Chrysosplenium
Chrysosplenium is a genus of 57 species of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae...
Chrysosplenium oppositifolium.
Other more commonly occurring woodland types are represented within the SSSI, associated with the middle and upper slopes of the gullies. These areas contain species typical for semi-natural ancient woodland including hard shield-fern
Polystichum aculeatum
Polystichum aculeatum is an evergreen fern native to Europe. It is most abundant in upland regions of the British Isles and western France, where it benefits from the combination of mild winters and moist summers, but also occurs more locally across most of Europe except northern Scandinavia,...
Polystichum aculeatum and Solomon's-seal
Polygonatum
Polygonatum , King Solomon's-seal or Solomon's Seal, is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae...
Polygonatum multiflorum. A well vegitated pond is located on the north side of Best Gully.
Twenty-three species of dragonfly and damselfly breed within the site. The ponds, streams and shallow pools are used for breeding whilst valuable feeding habitat is provided in the adjacent woodland. Three nationally scarce species are present; the blue-tailed damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
The Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans, is a European damselfly.Adult male Blue-tailed Damselflies have a head and thorax patterned with blue and black. They have a largely black abdomen with very narrow pale markings where each segment joins the next...
Ischnura pumilio, a species known to prefer shallow, newly created pools; the downy emerald
Downy Emerald
The downy emerald is a species of dragonfly. It is metallic green and bronze in color, and its thorax is coated with fine hairs, hence its name. Like most other emeralds, the downy emerald has bright shiny green eyes...
Cordulia aenea and the brilliant emerald
Brilliant Emerald
The Brilliant Emerald, Somatochlora metallica, is a middle-sized species of dragonfly. It is the largest and greenest of the Somatochlora species; long....
Somatochlora metallica.
The site is associated with a range of rare fauna, including woodlark
Woodlark
The Woodlark is the only lark in the genus Lullula. It breeds across most of Europe, the Middle East Asia and the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations of this passerine bird are more migratory, moving further south in winter...
and the silverstudded blue butterfly
Silver-studded Blue
The Silver-studded Blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.-Appearance, behavior and distribution:So named due to the silvery blue metallic spots on the underside hind wings. The upperside are a rich, deep iridescent blue in the males with a black border and the characteristic Lycid white...
Plebejus argus, both of which breed in the heathland area. Another scarce species is the Devon carpet moth
Lampropteryx otregiata
The Devon Carpet is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from western Europe to Japan and the Kuril Islands.The wingspan is 27-30 mm...
Lampropteryx otregiata, which is apparently restricted in Berkshire to this single colony. In winter snipe
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
and jack snipe
Jack Snipe
The Jack Snipe, Lymnocryptes minimus is a small stocky wader. It is the smallest snipe, and the only member of the genus Lymnocryptes...
frequent the pools whilst siskins
Eurasian Siskin
The Eurasian Siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European Siskin, Common Siskin or just Siskin. Other names include Black-headed Goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Asia...
and redpolls are regularly recorded feeding in the alders.