Ashwell Springs is a biological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

Ashwell Ashwell may refer to: Places *Ashwell, Devon *Ashwell, Hertfordshire *Ashwell, Rutland *Ashwell, Somerset *Ashwell, Queensland, a suburb of Ipswich, in Australia People *Gilbert Ashwell (1916–2014) *Lena Ashwell (1872–1957) *Richard Ashwel ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, England. The local planning authority is North Hertfordshire District Council. The site consists of a series of freshwater springs, which form a source for the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...

. Due to the low temperatures of the spring pools, they provide a habitat for cold water, invertebrate animals, some of which are rare. The site is particularly important for

flatworm The flatworms, flat worms, Platyhelminthes, or platyhelminths (from the Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegment ...

s, including ''

Crenobia alpina ''Crenobia'' is a genus of planarians in the family Planariidae. It is endemic to Europe and Anatolia. Description The genus ''Crenobia'' includes planarians with an extremely thick muscle coat surrounding the genital atrium. The copulatory bu ...

'' and the ''

Polycelis felina ''Polycelis'' is a genus of planarians in the family Planariidae. The genus was described in 1831 by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg and currently has no consensus on the exact number of species. Species The following species are recognised in th ...

''. The pools are surrounded by grassland which provide shade for the water. There is access from the High Street and by a footpath from Hodwell.

References

External links

Ashwell's Water History, Ashwell MuseumAshwell, Ashwell Parish Council
{{Authority control Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hertfordshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1986 River Cam Ashwell, Hertfordshire

See also

References

External links