Locks Farm Meadow

Also within

Isle of Wight County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk, Limestone

Description

Area, 2.3 ha Description Locks Farm Meadow is a small hay meadow situated on poorly draining neutral clay soils. It has been managed without the application of herbicide or artificial fertiliser. Agriculturally unimproved hay meadows such as this are a nationally rare habitat. Locks Farm Meadow represents one of only six areas of meadow known on the Isle of Wight. The meadow includes a variety of plants associated with a long continuity of unintensive management. The meadow is dominated by a variety of grasses including meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, red fescue Festuca rubra and smooth meadow grass Poa pratensis. The nationally rare French oat grass Gaudinia fragilis is also very common. Other grass species include quaking grass Briza media, smooth brome Bromus racemosus, heath grass Danthonia decumbens and crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus. A significant feature of the meadow is the large colony of green winged orchids Anacamptis morio. The orchids display a wide colour variation including an unusual pale form. Green winged orchids are strongly associated with traditionally managed hay meadows on broadly neutral soils. The Locks Farm Meadow is one of only six hay meadows with green winged orchids on the Island. In terms of numbers of flowering plants and variety of colour forms, the meadow is only surpassed by the nearby rifle range meadows. An unusual component of the flora is the autumn lady’s tresses Spiranthes spiralis. This late flowering orchid is more commonly associated with the calcareous soils of chalk and other limestone grasslands. Other species indicative of agriculturally unimproved, neutral grasslands include dyer’s greenweed Genista tinctoria, corky fruited water dropwort Oenanthe pimpinelloides, pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus and adder’s tongue fern Ophioglossum vulgatum. The interest of the meadow is further enhanced by its well documented history of management.

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.