Upper Waterhay Meadow

Also within

Wiltshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Alluvium

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

Area, 2.8 ha. 6.8 ac. Description Upper Waterhay Meadow lies on the Thames flood plain west of Cricklade. It constitutes an example of a neutral alluvial meadow with a large population of snakeshead fritillary Fritillaria meleagris, traditionally managed by cutting for hay. Potentially exploitable deposits of river valley gravels lie beneath the meadow, overlaid by 13 feet of clay, in turn overlaid by 8' of alluvium. This gives rise to a water table which is seasonally close to the surface, with consequent water logging and flooding. The field supports a lush sward in which grasses predominate. Conspicuous grasses are red fescue Festuca rubra, perennial rye grass Lolium perenne, meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum and meadow grasses Poa spp. Heavy applications of farmyard manure has resulted in slight agricultural improvement, with the fertility of the field raised marginally. Typical hay field herbs which occur somewhat sparsely, include pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, greater burnet Sanguisorba officinalis, common sorrel Rumex acetosa and meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis. The most striking feature of the meadow is the large number of snakeshead fritillary which flower in early spring. It is estimated that the colony consists of more than 30,000 plants. The white colour form accounts for about 75 percent of the population, predominating over the more usual chequered purple form. Upper Waterhay is one of only two sites in Britain where this is so and provides an interesting contrast with other nearby fritillary fields.

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.

Plant communities