Fox Fritillary Meadow, Framsden
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM189606 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 2.41 | 2015-08-04 |
Geology & landscape
Landscape processes: Fluvial
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| cuckoo | Unknown |
Description
Description This site consists of a small unimproved species rich meadow situated in a valley bottom on heavy alluvial soils. The meadow supports the largest and best known population of snakes head fritillary Fritillaria meleagris in East Anglia, a plant which is rare and which has a limited national distribution. The grass sward contains a mixture of grasses including meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, red fescue Festuca rubra, creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus and rough stalked meadow grass Poa trivialis with a good variety of herbs typical of alluvial meadows. These include meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, cowslip Primula veris, cuckoo-flower Cardamine pratensis and ragged-robin Silene flos-cuculi.
Species mentioned
Show the 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| creeping bent | Agrostis stolonifera | LC | grass | poaceae |
| meadow foxtail | Alopecurus pratensis | LC | grass | poaceae |
| crested dog's tail | Cynosurus cristatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| red fescue | Festuca rubra | LC | grass | poaceae |
| Yorkshire fog | Holcus lanatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| rough meadow grass | Poa trivialis | 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 |
| cowslip | Primula veris | LC | herb | primulaceae |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina |
Endangered | Primula veris |
| Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens |
Endangered | Filipendula ulmaria |
| Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata |
Vulnerable | Filipendula ulmaria |
| Grayling Hipparchia semele |
Vulnerable | Festuca rubra |
| Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus |
Near Threatened | Agrostis spp., Cynosurus cristatus, Festuca spp., Poa spp. |
| Wall Lasiommata megera |
Near Threatened | Agrostis spp., Holcus lanatus |
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.