Chesterfield Canal

Also within

Nottinghamshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Description

Description This site, a 20 kilometre stretch of canal between Retford and Misterton in north Nottinghamshire, supports a nationally uncommon aquatic plant community characteristic of the brackish, eutrophic nutrient rich water. The flora includes a number of nationally scarce species. The presence of this brackish water community, over 50 kilometres inland, is of particular interest. The canal’s water plant community is characterised by water milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum, Nuttall’s waterweed Elodea nuttallii, fennel pondweed Potamogeton pectinatus, perfoliate pondweed Potamogeton perfoliatus, brackish water crowfoot Ranunculus baudotii, short leaved water starwort Callitriche truncata and algae of the genus Cladophora. Two of the site’s rarities, Potamogeton x lintonii and Nitella mucronata, each achieve local abundance. Superimposed on the basic community are variations such as the local abundance of Canadian water weed Elodea canadensis, amphibious bistort Polygonum amphibium and small and lesser pondweeds Potamogeton berchtoldii and Potamogeton pusillus. The rich marginal vegetation is locally dominated by reed sweet grass Glyceria maxima, branched bur reed Sparganium erectum, common reed Phragmites australis and greater pond sedge Carex riparia. great water dock Rumex hydrolapathum, yellow iris Iris pseudacorus, skullcap Scutellaria galericulata and greater tussock sedge Carex paniculata also occur.

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.