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Wolvey Old Cricket Field Nature
Reserve
Wonderful Wetlands:
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The Wolvey Old Cricket Field Wetland
Reserve is a habitat type known as rush pasture. Plants characterise this
habitat are a purple tussocky grass Molina Caerulea, and rushes like sharp
flowered rush Juncus Acutiflorus.
Amongst the purple moor grass and
rush species, a wide range of plants can be supported. The variety of
flowering plants supports a diverse insect fauna including butterflies,
dragonflies and damselflies. Foxes and deer regularly find shelter on purple
moor grass and rush pasture, while many sites are closely associated with
breeding and wintering birds. Rare waders such as redshank, snipe and curlew
are all associated with this rush pasture.
These birds have long
bills and feed on insects in the soil. They need soft damp soils which they
can probe their bills into to find insect prey. Purple moor grass and rush
pasture are a priority for conservation because on the rich biodiversity
that they support, they are susceptible to modification, fragmentation and
isolation. |
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Louise
Sutherland
Wetland Project Officer
Warwickshire Wildlife
Trust
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