Kingerby Beck Meadows

Also within

Lincolnshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area,4.7 ha Description This site is a representative example of a traditionally managed neutral grassland, supporting plant communities typical of calcareous clay and loam soils. Such grassland communities are now rare in the East Midlands, as elsewhere in Britain, as they are particularly vulnerable to agricultural improvement. Kingerby Beck Meadows once comprised three fields, but now the old boundaries are marked by remnant hawthorn Crataegus monogyna hedges. The site is bordered to the south by Kingerby Beck and is otherwise enclosed by mature hedges. A wide range of grasses occurs within the site, including sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus, red fescue Festuca rubra, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, common bent Agrostis capillaris, meadow barley Hordeum secalinum and tor grass Brachypodium pinnatum. Associated herbs include common bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, ribwort plantain Plantago lanceolata, common knapweed Centaurea nigra, meadow buttercup Ranunculus acris, bulbous buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus, cat's ear Hypochaeris radicata, yarrow Achillea millefolium, cowslip Primula veris and yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor. The species composition of the site tends to vary with soil drainage. In the northern most field where the soils are freely draining, plants characteristic of loamy soils, such as glaucous sedge Carex flacca, lady's bedstraw Galium verum, fairy flax Linum catharticum, dwarf thistle Cirsium acaule and pignut Conopodium majus occur. In the southern most field, the soil tends to be heavier, supporting herbs such as meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, cuckoo-flower Cardamine pratensis, meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis, soft rush Juncus effusus and tufted vetch Vicia cracca. Two plants of a restricted distribution, frog orchid Dactylorhiza viridis and adder's tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum, occur within the site.

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.