Calcutt Locks Meadows

Also within

Warwickshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Glacial Till

Landscape processes: Glacial

Description

Area, 4.4 ha. 10.9 ac. Description Calcutt Locks Meadows are three small unimproved fields, showing ridge and furrow topography, which lie beside the Grand Union Canal in the extreme east of Warwickshire. The hay meadows have developed on a heavy damp boulder clay soil, overlying Lias clay sand the vegetation is a herb rich community of the crested dog’s tail – common knapweed type. There is evidence that in the nineteenth century this grassland type was widespread and common in some parts of Britain, particularly the Midlands, but in the twentieth century it has declined very severely as a result of agricultural improvement. In several counties in the east Midlands it has almost disappeared and in Warwickshire very few sites are known. This plant community is dominated by crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, common bent Agrostis capillaris, corn knapweed Centaurea nigra and lady’s bedstraw Galium verum. The meadows are particularly rich in grass species with seventeen so far recorded including quaking grass Briza media, meadow barley Hordeum secalinum, yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens and smaller cat’s tail Phleum pratense ssp. bertolonii. Herbs characteristic of this type of grassland found here include cowslip Primula veris, betony Betonica officinalis and devil’s bit scabious Succisa pratensis. Several plants occur which are uncommon in Warwickshire including saw wort Serratula tinctoria, dropwort Filipendula vulgaris, pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis and adder’s tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum.

Species mentioned

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.

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.