Dersingham Bog
Encyclopedia
Dersingham Bog National Nature Reserve is a nature reserve
in Norfolk, England and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
. It contains three distinct habitats, mire
, heath
and woodland
. Acid valley mire is found over much of the low-lying parts of the reserve where the ground is waterlogged for most of the year. Dersingham Bog contains the largest remaining example of this kind of habitat in East Anglia
.
and Wolferton
and is one of the few remaining wilderness areas left in this part of Norfolk which is otherwise dominated by intensive agriculture. The Reserve is part of the Sandringham
Royal Estate.
escarpment. It is notable for a rock dating from the Lower Cretaceous
Period known as 'Dersingham Formation' which has been important in understanding the geology of the region.
) , White Beaked sedge (Rhynchospora alba
) and cranberry
. The Mire also has some rare insects such as the Black Darter
Dragonfly (Sympetrum danae) and moths such as the Light Knot Grass (Acronicta menyanthidis
). In the dark it is possible to see Glowworm
s. The mire lies on shallow peat and is bordered on one side by a steep escarpment
which containing large areas of dry heath and woodland which marks the edge of an ancient coastline
. The woodland at Dersingham is quite recent and contains Scots pine
, oak
, sweet chestnut
, sycamore
and birch
. The woodland glades attract birds such as redpoll
, crossbill
, long-eared owl
, Tree Pipit
, Woodlark
, Shelduck
, Nightjar
, and sparrowhawk.
. It is managed by Ash Murray, and the wardens, Jim Allitt and Tom Bolderstone.
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
in Norfolk, England and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
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...
. It contains three distinct habitats, mire
Miré
Miré is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
, heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
. Acid valley mire is found over much of the low-lying parts of the reserve where the ground is waterlogged for most of the year. Dersingham Bog contains the largest remaining example of this kind of habitat in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
.
Location
Dersingham Bog is near the West Norfolk Villages of DersinghamDersingham
Dersingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some north of the town of King's Lynn and north-west of the city of Norwich, opening onto the Wash....
and Wolferton
Wolferton
Wolferton is a village in the north of the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated some 3 km west of the village of Sandringham, 12 km north of the town of King's Lynn and 60 km north-west of the city of Norwich....
and is one of the few remaining wilderness areas left in this part of Norfolk which is otherwise dominated by intensive agriculture. The Reserve is part of the Sandringham
Sandringham House
Sandringham House is a country house on of land near the village of Sandringham in Norfolk, England. The house is privately owned by the British Royal Family and is located on the royal Sandringham Estate, which lies within the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History and current...
Royal Estate.
Geology
The site lies on the north west Norfolk GreensandGreensand
Greensand or Green sand is either a sand or sandstone, which has a greenish color. This term is specifically applied to shallow marine sediment, that contains noticeable quantities of rounded greenish grains. These grains are called glauconies and consist of a mixture of mixed-layer clay...
escarpment. It is notable for a rock dating from the Lower Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
Period known as 'Dersingham Formation' which has been important in understanding the geology of the region.
Habitats and Wildlife
The Mire’s make-up of wet acid peat makes it ideal conditions for some rare and diverse species of plants such as Bog Asphodels (Narthecium ossifragum), Round-Leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifoliaDrosera rotundifolia
Drosera rotundifolia is a species of sundew, a carnivorous plant often found in bogs, marshes and fens...
) , White Beaked sedge (Rhynchospora alba
Rhynchospora alba
Rhynchospora alba, the white beak-sedge, is a plant in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. It is a tufted herbaceous perennial plant found in fairly acidic wetlands which have few plant nutrients....
) and cranberry
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
. The Mire also has some rare insects such as the Black Darter
Black Darter
The Black Darter or Black Meadowhawk is a dragonfly found in northern Europe, Asia, and North America. At about 30 mm long, it is Britain's smallest resident dragonfly...
Dragonfly (Sympetrum danae) and moths such as the Light Knot Grass (Acronicta menyanthidis
Acronicta menyanthidis
The Light Knot Grass is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed through northern, central and eastern Europe, east to Sibiria and the Russian Far East....
). In the dark it is possible to see Glowworm
Glowworm
Glowworm, or glow worm, is the common name for various groups of insect larvae and adult larviform females that glow through bioluminescence. They may sometimes resemble worms, but all are insects .-Classification:Major families are:* Lampyridae , found around the world...
s. The mire lies on shallow peat and is bordered on one side by a steep escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
which containing large areas of dry heath and woodland which marks the edge of an ancient coastline
Raised beach
A raised beach, marine terrace, or perched coastline is an emergent coastal landform. Raised beaches and marine terraces are beaches or wave-cut platforms raised above the shore line by a relative fall in the sea level ....
. The woodland at Dersingham is quite recent and contains Scots pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, sweet chestnut
Sweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, such as...
, sycamore
Sycamore Maple
Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore maple, is a species of maple native to central Europe and southwestern Asia, from France east to Ukraine, and south in mountains to northern Spain, northern Turkey, and the Caucasus. It is not related to other trees called sycamore or plane tree in the Platanus...
and 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...
. The woodland glades attract birds such as redpoll
Redpoll
The Redpolls are a group of small passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae which have characteristic red markings on their heads. They were formerly placed into the genus Acanthis together with the linnets and the twite, but their closest relatives are actually the crossbills, that are...
, crossbill
Crossbill
The crossbill is a bird in the finch family . The three to five species are all classified in the genus Loxia. These birds are characterised by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name...
, long-eared owl
Long-eared Owl
The Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl...
, Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit
Tree Pipit, Anthus trivialis, is a small passerine bird which breeds across most of Europe and temperate western and central Asia. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Africa and southern Asia....
, 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...
, Shelduck
Shelduck
The shelducks, genus Tadorna, are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the geese and swans....
, Nightjar
Nightjar
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats . Some New World species are named as nighthawks...
, and sparrowhawk.
Access
All of Dersingham is open access and there are many well-marked routes to follow which provide easy access for visitors to explore this wilderness. There are free car parks at Wolferton and Scissors Cross.Management
The reserve is in the management of Natural EnglandNatural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
. It is managed by Ash Murray, and the wardens, Jim Allitt and Tom Bolderstone.