Haydon Meadow

Also within

Wiltshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Hedgerow scrub

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Jurassic

Description

Description Haydon Meadow is a floristically rich, unimproved lowland neutral grassland, managed as hay meadow. This habitat has largely been lost throughout England, as a result of widespread adoption of intensive agricultural management. The meadow contains populations of two locally uncommon plant species and a breeding site and habitat for a specially protected amphibian. The meadow lies on neutral soils derived from Upper Jurassic Oxford Clay, situated on the northwestern fringe of Swindon. Past agricultural management has formed extensive ridges and furrows over the meadow. These features create a pattern of differing soil drainage across the mostly level field. The meadow is bounded by thick hedges and a small pond lies on one edge. The meadow supports a wide variety of grasses and herbs indicative of a long period of traditional hay meadow management. Common bent Agrostis capillaris, red fescue Festuca rubra, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus and yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens are all frequent and are joined by several other grasses, including meadow fox tail Alopecurus pratensis, perennial rye grass Lolium perenne, meadow barley Hordeum secalinum and quaking grass Briza media. Typical meadow herb species are abundant throughout the grassland, particularly common knapweed Centaurea nigra, oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare, common sorrel Rumex acetosella, bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus and red clover Trifolium pratense, along with many other species of interest including devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis, betony Betonica officinalis, saw wort Serratula tinctoria, meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor and pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus. Particularly noteworthy is the strong population of the uncommon green winged orchid Anacamptis morio within the meadow, which makes this one of the most important hay meadow colonies in the county. The flower rich meadow supports a typical range of meadow invertebrates, including the forester moth Adscita statices, which is nationally scarce. Additional habitat features are a small pond and a thick hedge on the meadow's perimeter. Floating sweet grass Glyceria fluitans and the locally uncommon grey club rush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani grow on the pond's margins. The pond and surrounding land are used by the large local population of the great crested newt Triturus cristatus, a species listed on Annex 2 of the European Habitat and Species Directive.

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