Railway Meadow, Langley

Also within

Warwickshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Fluvial, Glacial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description Railway Meadow, Langley is a traditionally managed species rich grassland located in the head waters of the River Alne in central Warwickshire, about 10 kilometres north of Stratford upon Avon. The field is herb rich flood meadow grassland characterised by meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis and great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis. It occupies the flood plain at the confluence of a tributary of the River Alne and lies on alluvial sansa and gravels surrounded by clays of the Keuper Marl, a major geological formation in this part of the country. There is evidence that in the nineteenth century this grassland type was widespread and common in some parts of Britain, particularly in the Midlands and also southern England in the case of flood meadows. In the twentieth century, however, they have declined severely as a result of agricultural improvement, the neglect of common meadow rights and from gravel extraction. Railway Meadow, Langley is one of the last six remaining flood meadows known in central Warwickshire. The sward is diverse with grass species, including common bent Agrostis capillaris, meadow foxtail, red fescue Festuca rubra, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum and Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus. The density of the herbs in the grassland is most striking with abundant great burnet, cuckoo-flower Cardamine pratensis, common knapweed, meadow buttercup Ranunculus acris, creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens and meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria. Common sorrel Rumex acetosa, autumn hawkbit Scorzoneroides autumnalis, common mouse ear Cerastium fontanum and meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis are also frequent in the sward. The influence of the glacial sands and gravels is shown by the presence of tormentil Potentilla erecta and betony Betonica officinalis.

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