Mickfield Meadow
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM143632 | — | Favourable | 1.85 | 2017-08-02 |
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| cuckoo | Unknown |
Description
Area, 1.72 ha. 4.25 ac. Description This site consists of a small meadow managed on traditional lines which supports a species rich unimproved neutral grassland flora of a type formerly widespread in Suffolk before the advent of modern farming methods. There is a good variety of grasses and herbs, including Fritillaries Fritillaria meleagris. The grass sward is species rich with meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, cock's foot Dactylis glomerata, false oat grass Arrhenatherum elatius, Timothy Phleum pratense and Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus as the dominant grasses. meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria is frequent together with other herb species including pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, cowslip Primula veris, cuckoo-flower Cardamine pratensis, ragged-robin Silene flos-cuculi and meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis. The meadow is noted for its population of Fritillaries which are frequent in the northern part of the meadow about 4,000 plants in 1979. They are increasing in number.
Species mentioned
Show the 12 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| meadow foxtail | Alopecurus pratensis | LC | grass | poaceae |
| false oat grass | Arrhenatherum elatius | LC | grass | poaceae |
| cock's foot | Dactylis glomerata | LC | grass | poaceae |
| Yorkshire fog | Holcus lanatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| timothy | Phleum pratense | LC | grass | poaceae |
| cuckoo-flower | Cardamine pratensis | LC | herb | brassicaceae |
| meadow sweet | Filipendula ulmaria | LC | herb | rosaceae |
| fritillary | Fritillaria meleagris | Not listed in GB list | herb | liliaceae |
| meadow vetchling | Lathyrus pratensis | LC | herb | fabaceae |
| cowslip | Primula veris | LC | herb | primulaceae |
| pepper saxifrage | Silaum silaus | EN | herb | saxifragaceae |
| ragged-robin | Silene flos-cuculi | LC | herb | carophyllaceae |
Insects to look out for
These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.
| Species | Status | Via host-plant |
|---|---|---|
| New forest Zygaena viciae |
Critically Endangered | Lathyrus pratensis |
| Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina |
Endangered | Primula veris |
| Wood white Leptidea sinapis |
Endangered | Lathyrus pratensis |
| Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens |
Endangered | Filipendula ulmaria |
| Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata |
Vulnerable | Filipendula ulmaria |
| Large nutmeg Apamea anceps |
Near Threatened | Dactylis glomerata |
| Latticed heath Chiasmia clathrata |
Near Threatened | Lathyrus pratensis |
| Wall Lasiommata megera |
Near Threatened | Dactylis glomerata, Holcus lanatus |
| Rosy minor Litoligia literosa |
Near Threatened | Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata |
Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.