Visitor Guidelines

Access around the reserve is straightforward but please avoid trampling the vegetation in the wet areas, and use the bridges to cross streams and ditches. Conditions underfoot can be wet even in summer so boots are advised.

Description

Like the nearby Sturts South reserve, Sturts North lies in the River Wye flood-plain occupying part of a shallow basin known as Letton Lake. The whole area scarcely rises above river level and both reserves are subject to regular winter flooding. These sediment-laden flood-waters may reach a metre or more in depth and, as they slowly subside in spring, silt and nutrients sink into the saturated gley soils below. This annual enrichment taking place over centuries is a natural fertilising process, and is responsible for the rich mix of herbaceous and grass species seen in both reserves today. Sturts North reserve covers an area of 21ha (50 acres), and together with Sturts South, the total area of 43ha (105 acres) represents the largest protected block of unimproved flood-plain grassland in the county, apart from Lugg Meadow. Traditionally-managed flood-plain meadows of this type are now nationally rare; the SSSI designation of much of North Sturts recognises this special value.

The seven fields which make up Sturts North lie on the edge of the Letton Lake basin. Much of the land is flat or gently undulating, but in the two northernmost fields, Long Meadow and Orchard Meadow, the land slopes upwards towards higher ground bordering Ailey Lane. The dominant grassland in these two upper fields is the more common NVC types MG5/MG6 and both fields lie outside the SSSI boundary. The southern block of five fields – Far House Plock, Sheep Cott Meadow, LWednesday April 28, 2010g and diverse grassland and mire communities. The MG4 grassland communities in Wet Meadow and Sheep Cott Meadow, dominated by the characteristic and attractive Meadow Foxtail grass, are particularly noteworthy. Damp hollows and drier ridges form a mosaic, each with its own microhabitat and typical species. In wetter depressions Great Burnet, Meadowsweet, Lady’s Smock, Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil and Ragged Robin are frequent. The drier slightly higher ground is particularly herb-rich with Betony, Common Knapweed, Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Devil’s-bit Scabious, Tormentil and Meadow Vetchling. Scarce species like the curious Adder’s Tongue fern and Dyer’s Greenweed may also be found. In autumn, a wide variety of fungi appear on the reserve. In particular, look out for waxcaps in early November - 28 species are known, including Pink, Snowy and Scarlet Waxcap, making the reserve a nationally important site.

Mire and swamp communities are a particularly interesting feature at Sturts North and occur in the most low-lying sections of Lane Meadow, Far Pole Moor, Long Meadow and Wet Meadow, particularly around the permanent and temporary ponds and along ditches. These areas retain a high water table well into spring, and summer droughts are brief. Two types of mire are found:- Meadowsweet/Angelica mire which is restricted to Wet Meadow, and rush pasture, dominated by Sharp-flowered Rush or Soft Rush with Marsh Bedstraw as an understorey. Typical moisture-loving plants found in these communities include Gypsywort, Hemlock Water-dropwort, Water Forget-me-not, Celery-leaved Buttercup, Bog Stitchwort, Water Figwort, Yellow Iris, and Creeping Jenny. Areas of true swamp are scarce, but include a fine stand of Greater Pond Sedge along a ditch in Wet Meadow, and an unusual association of Slender Tufted Sedge and Reed Canary Grass in the large pond in Lane Meadow. In winter, these wet meadows are home to groups of up to 20 Common Snipe, sometimes joined by single individuals of the much scarcer Jack Snipe.

Sturts North holds numerous ponds, some of which were originally dug as clay pits and then used for watering livestock – these retain water for much of the year. Some ponds are merely shallow, watery depressions and are seasonal, drying out rapidly in early summer.  Surveys of some of the ponds have revealed rich assemblages of aquatic plants, with both Tubular and Fine-leaved Water Dropwort, and also Water Purslane present. There are also remarkable and highly important communities of aquatic invertebrates. The largest pond (in Wet Meadow) contains 20 species of water beetle alone. Three are nationally scarce, while the Crawling Water Beetle Enochrus nigritus is a Red Data Book species. In summer, the deeper ponds are home to several species of dragonfly and damselfly, including both Ruddy and Common Darter as well as Large Red Damselfly. A system of partially silted-up, old drainage ditches criss-cross the reserve. Some, probably more recent, are fairly straight and lie north/south. Others are irregular, following the hedge-lines, and could be centuries old. Most are now only seasonally wet, but a section of ditch in Sheep Cott Meadow is permanently water-filled and holds a thriving Three-spined Stickleback population, 33 species of aquatic plant, including the marshland Whorl Grass, and two species of Dytiscus water beetle. The other semi-permanent ditches support a variety of interesting marsh plants, like Greater and Lesser Pond Sedge, Reed Canary Grass, and several rush Juncus species. Several ditches are lined with ancient and impressive Crack Willow pollards, their massive trunks split open by wind and passage of time.

Many of the hedges surrounding the reserve are old and species-rich, containing three species of Elm, as well as Field Maple, Dogwood and Spindle. The sections of older more overgrown hedge harbour a few pairs of Yellowhammers and Long-tailed Tits, while the occasional Lesser Whitethroat may be heard in song from May onwards. Veteran pollards of Oak, Ash and Willows add to the botanical interest of the hedgerows, while there are some superb isolated pollard Oaks in the meadows which add greatly to the landscape value of the reserve. Each of these mature trees supports its own community of fungi, lichens and arboreal invertebrates.  At least one of the Oaks shows signs of being regularly used as a colonial roost by Treecreepers.

At the north end of the reserve adjacent to Long Meadow, a small orchard of traditional cider apple varieties provides a different kind of habitat. Many of the trees are old and some have died out. The Trust has replaced these by planting four local apple varieties (Broxwood Foxwhelp, Dymock Red, Frederick and Medaille d’Or) into the gaps. The orchard has its own community of lichens, invertebrates, birds and bats, and the fallen fruit provides a regular source of winter food for Redwings and Fieldfares.

Present Management

The reserve is currently managed as a combination of hay meadow and pasture in keeping with its flood-plain meadow status. The overall aim is to keep the species-rich grassland areas in good condition, and over the longer period, to restore those grassland communities with fewer species to an appropriate species-rich state. Hay making is the main management regime in the two western fields – Far House Plock and Sheep Cott Meadow. The grass growing through the spring and early summer is removed as a hay crop after 21st June. Every fourth year the hay-cut will be delayed until the end of July to enable more seed to set and disperse. The regrowing aftermath is then grazed by sheep or light beef cattle throughout the rest of the year.

The remaining five fields are treated as pasture and grazed from late spring until late autumn. Cattle are removed during the wettest part of the year to prevent poaching of the soft ground, but sheep are left to graze as long as possible. Some phased de-silting work is planned for some of the ponds, but restoration of the wet ditch systems will be delayed until further ecological and hydrological assessments have been made.

Boundary hedges are maintained by staggered trimming regimes to allow production of as much flower and fruit as possible. Many of the veteran trees at Sturts (North) have been pollarded (removal of trunk and branches 2-4 m. above ground on a cutting cycle of 15-25 years) and this ancient management practice will continue.

Acquisition Details

Freehold purchased from Mrs. Davies of Upper Farm, Ailey in 2004, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Alan Evans Memorial Trust, and the Herefordshire Conservation Development Trust.

General Information

Best time to visit		Early spring to late summer.
Habitat		Unimproved, damp, neutral grassland (NVC types MG4/MG5c/MG9); mire and swamp communities (NVC types M23 and M27); permanent and seasonal freshwater ponds; old drainage ditches; old orchard.
Size		21ha (50 acres)
Specialites		Common Snipe, Jack Snipe (both Oct-Mar), Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Lesser Whitethroat (May-Jul). Common and Ruddy Darter dragonflies (Jul-Aug), scarce water beetles e.g. Enochrus nigritus. Waxcaps Hygrocybe species (Oct-Nov), bracket fungi on Willow pollards. Great Burnet (Jun-Sep), Pepper Saxifrage (Jun-Sep), Ragged Robin (May-Aug), Betony (Jun-Oct), Skullcap (Jun-Sep), Devilsbit Scabious (Jun-Oct), Tubular and Fine-leaved Water Dropworts (Jun-Sep), Water Purslane (Jul-Aug), Bifurcate Crack Willow, 13 species of sedge Carex, Adder’s Tongue Fern (May-Aug).
Parking		There is a small car park at the northern end of the reserve.
OS map		Explorer 201
Nearby Reserves		Sturts South, Waterloo, Davies Meadow, and Ernle Gilbert.

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