Visitor Guidelines

As the reserve is managed as a hay meadow, please only walk around the edge of the field while the hay is growing and keep dogs under control. The field gate must be kept closed at all times. Please also do not enter the roped-off area where orchids are being studied.

Description

The reserve lies on a relatively steep west-facing slope leading down to the Hackley Brook, a headwater of the River Frome. Neutral soils of varying depth cover the reserve, originating from Old Red Sandstone sands and marls, which underly the area and which may be found exposed along the brookside banks. The name "Stocking" indicates that what is now a field was once woodland cleared for agriculture long ago, leaving the land covered with "stocks" or tree stumps. Both roads bounding the meadow and leading down to the brook have, through long use, become hollow ways. The A44 was re-routed on a new course beside the old way, which now lies entirely within the reserve as a result. The sunken lane to the south incorporates the remains of an old clay pit now covered with scrub vegetation. Large old hedges border the meadow on two sides (north and west) and contain a variety of shrubby species. Bramble thickets adjacent to these hedges provide breeding sites for Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Long-tailed Tit in season. The brook is fringed with Alders, and harbours in its fast flowing waters, nymphs of caddis, alderfly, mayfly and stonefly, as well as River Limpets and other invertebrates indicative of relatively unpolluted, oxygen-rich water.

The meadow has a very rich flora, the composition of which depends on variations in soil depth and drainage. The deeper, heavier soils at the top of the meadow where the land is flatter support plants like Knapweed, Dandelion, Sorrel and Meadow Vetchling. Where the slope is steeper and west-facing and the soils are thinner, Devil’s-bit Scabious and Green-winged Orchids occur, together with Bugle and a superb display of Cowslips. The marshy areas of the old sunken way hold plants typical of more damp conditions e.g. Ragged Robin, Marsh Marigold, Angelica and Meadowsweet. Numbers of Common Spotted and Heath Spotted Orchids occur here in close proximity, their species integrity presumably maintained by differences in microhabitat and reproduction, although some hybrids do occur.

Present Management

For 40 years the meadow had been part of nearby Embages Farm. The previous owner had managed it as a hay meadow with aftermath grazing, with no use of artificial manures or herbicides. This traditional management has retained the rich flora that was once normal for grassland in the area and the Trust is continuing the same management.

Acquisition Details

Freehold bought in 1990 with grants from the Clive Richards Trust, the Four Winds Trust, the Alan Evans Memorial Trust and Worldwide Fund for Nature.

General Information

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