Bozeat Meadow
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP901590 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 2.63 | 2014-09-11 |
Habitats
Description
Area, 2.7 ha. 6.7 ac. Description Bozeat Meadow is an area of species rich and agriculturally unimproved neutral grassland lying over well drained calcareous clay and loam soils. The site shows a marked ridge and furrow formation and there are several grassland types present including of the common knapweed –crested dog's tail community. This grassland type has declined in extent throughout the country and is now uncommon both in Northamptonshire and nationally. A rare local variant of the type occurs in the northern part of the field. The ridge and furrow system is most pronounced towards the south of the site where the common knapweed – crested dog' s tail community is found on the well drained ridge tops. It is characterised by a rich assemblage of plant species including abundant red fescue Festuca rubra, yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens, false oat grass Arrhenatherum elatius, lady's bedstraw Galium verum, salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba and common birds foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus. Other plants of interest occur such as crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus, downy oat grass Avenula pubescens, quaking grass Briza media. dwarf thistle Cirsium acaule, cowslip Primula veris, rough hawkbit Leontodon hispidus and burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga. A false oat grass community type occurs in the associated furrows with false oat grass Arrhenatherum elatius, cock's foot Dactylis glomerata, creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera, red fescue Festuca rubra and yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens. In the north of the field the ground slopes down towards the northern boundary and the ridge and furrow system becomes less evident. The vegetation here conforms to the common knapweed – crested dog's tail grassland type but the additional occurrence of species normally associated with more alkaline soils such as crested hair grass Koeleria macrantha, tor grass Brachypodium pinnatum and upright brome Bromus erectus, indicates the presence of a rare variant, restricted to a small part of the midlands. Scattered ant hills, a small spring with associated scrub and the mature hedgerows forming the boundaries of the field add to the interest of the site.
Species mentioned
Show the 18 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusInsects 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Black-veined moth Siona lineata |
Critically Endangered | Lotus corniculatus |
| New forest Zygaena viciae |
Critically Endangered | Lotus corniculatus |
| Straw belle Aspitates gilvaria |
Endangered | Lotus corniculatus |
| Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina |
Endangered | Primula veris |
| Wood white Leptidea sinapis |
Endangered | Lotus corniculatus |
| Slender scotch Zygaena loti |
Endangered | Lotus corniculatus |
| Mouse moth Amphipyra tragopoginis |
Vulnerable | Lotus corniculatus, Poterium sanguisorba |
| Dingy skipper Erynnis tages |
Vulnerable | Lotus corniculatus |
| Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata |
Vulnerable | Galium spp. |
| White-line dart Euxoa tritici |
Vulnerable | Galium verum |
| Grayling Hipparchia semele |
Vulnerable | Festuca rubra |
| Bedstraw hawk-moth Hyles gallii |
Vulnerable | Galium spp. |
| Silver studded blue Plebejus argus |
Vulnerable | Lotus corniculatus |
| Grizzled skipper Pyrgus malvae |
Vulnerable | Poterium sanguisorba |
| Large nutmeg Apamea anceps |
Near Threatened | Dactylis glomerata |
| Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus |
Near Threatened | Agrostis spp., Cynosurus cristatus, Festuca spp. |
| Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa |
Near Threatened | Galium spp. |
| Grey pug Eupithecia subfuscata |
Near Threatened | Pimpinella saxifraga |
| Wall Lasiommata megera |
Near Threatened | Agrostis spp., Dactylis glomerata |
| Rosy minor Litoligia literosa |
Near Threatened | Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata |
| Swallowtail papilio Papilio machaon |
Near Threatened | Pimpinella saxifraga |
| Dark-barred twin-spot carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata |
Near Threatened | Galium spp. |
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.
Plant communities
W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub
Matches 4 species from the description above: Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Dactylis glomerata, Poterium sanguisorba
Show 81 indicator speciesHedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas
W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub
Matches 2 species from the description above: Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra
Show 49 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas
W20 — Montane scrub
Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub
Matches 1 species from the description above: Festuca rubra
Show 107 indicator speciesSalix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis