Yelden Meadows

Also within

Bedfordshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description Yelden Meadows are a fine example of species rich unimproved neutral grassland occurring on clayin North Bedfordshire. This habitat has been greatly reduced in extent nationally and is now rare in Bedfordshire. The grassland community on the site is an example of Alopecurus pratensis Sanguisorba officinalis flood meadow. This community type is noted for a species rich, varied sward of grasses and herbs which has been maintained traditionally as a hay meadow with grazing during the winter. The Alepocurus Sanguisorba community is a lowland grassland that, once common, is now local in the midlands and southern England. This decline has primarily been due to agricultural improvement and such losses are still continuing. The grassland is dominated by the grasses meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis and rough meadow grass Poa trivialis, with other grasses frequent including crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens and herbs such as common knapweed Centaurea nigra, meadow buttercup Ranunculus acris, common sorrel Rumex acetosa and great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis. Other species characteristic of old meadows include meadow brome Bromus commutatus, field wood rush Luzula campestris, cuckoo-flower Cardamine pratensis, pignut Conopodium majus, dropwort Filipendula vulgaris, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor, pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus and lady’s bedstraw Galium verum. Adding to the diversity of the site are the old hedgerows with field maple Acer campestre, hazel Corylus avellana, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, midland hawthorn Crataegus laevigata, ash Fraxinus excelsior, crab apple Malus sylvestris, blackthorn Prunus spinosa, elder Sambucus nigra and elm Ulmus spp.

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.