North Meadow, Cricklade
Encyclopedia
North Meadow, Cricklade is a hay meadow near the village of Cricklade
, in Wiltshire
, England
. It is 24.6 hectare
s in size.
Over 250 species of higher plant occur in the meadow, but it is of particular note as it holds by far the largest British population of the Snake's-head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris). The 500,000 fritillaries which flower each year represent 80% of the British population.
The meadow was notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1971. Part of the site has been designated a National Nature Reserve
.
Cricklade
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire in England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester.On 25 September 2011 Cricklade was awarded The Royal Horticultural Society's 'Champion of Champions' award in the Britain in Bloom competition.Cricklade is twinned with...
, in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
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...
. It is 24.6 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s in size.
Over 250 species of higher plant occur in the meadow, but it is of particular note as it holds by far the largest British population of the Snake's-head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris). The 500,000 fritillaries which flower each year represent 80% of the British population.
The meadow was notified as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1971. Part of the site has been designated a National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
.
Source
- English Nature citation sheet for the site (accessed 16 August 2006)