Southorpe Meadow
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TF083031 | — | Favourable | 2.04 | 2015-07-06 |
Description
Area, 1.8 hectares 4.6 ac Description This meadow is one of the few remaining examples of neutral grassland in Cambridgeshire. It is of a type confined to southern Britain and maintained traditionally by grazing and/or haymaking. The type is increasingly scarce due to changing agricultural trends. The meadow shows a ridge and furrow structure and this introduces a range of soil moisture conditions which is reflected in the distribution of species. On the drier areas the sward includes such characteristic species as red fescue Festuca rubra, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, cowslip Primula veris and the green winged orchid Anacamptis morio. On the damper areas species such as salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba and lady’s smock Cardamine pratensis are characteristic. The diversity of the species rich sward is further enhanced by an underlying calcareous influence.
Species mentioned
Show the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sweet vernal grass | Anthoxanthum odoratum | LC | grass | poaceae |
| red fescue | Festuca rubra | LC | grass | poaceae |
| green-winged orchid | Anacamptis morio | NT | herb | orchidaceae |
| cuckoo-flower | Cardamine pratensis | LC | herb | brassicaceae |
| salad burnet | Poterium sanguisorba | VU | herb | rosaceae |
| cowslip | Primula veris | LC | herb | primulaceae |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina |
Endangered | Primula veris |
| Mouse moth Amphipyra tragopoginis |
Vulnerable | Poterium sanguisorba |
| Grayling Hipparchia semele |
Vulnerable | Festuca rubra |
| Grizzled skipper Pyrgus malvae |
Vulnerable | Poterium sanguisorba |
| Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus |
Near Threatened | Festuca 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.