Babcary Meadows () is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of

Babcary Babcary is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, about east of Somerton and southwest of Castle Cary, in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 248. It lies close to the River Cary and the A37. The parish incl ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, notified in 1988. Babcary Meadows is one of the last remaining areas of traditionally managed unimproved neutral

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

in south Somerset and contains a rich variety of

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s. The site is positioned to the north of the

River Cary The River Cary is a river in Somerset, England. It is sourced from the Park Pond in Castle Cary and flows towards the southwest. Etymology The origin of the name ''Cary'' is uncertain. It may be derived from pre-Celtic ''kar-'', meaning "stony, ...

at an altitude of on flat and gently sloping ground. The plant community contains a very high proportion of herbaceous species. Areas immediately adjacent to the river bank are frequently waterlogged and contain numerous tussocks of

Soft rush ''Juncus effusus'', with the common names common rush or soft rush, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant species in the rush family Juncaceae. In North America, the common name soft rush also refers to '' Juncus interior''. Distribution '' ...

(''Juncus effusus''). Associated plants include Meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria''), Cuckoo flower (''Cardamine pratensis'') and Common fleabane (''Pulicaria dysenterica''). Over two hundred species of flora have been recorded on the

Somerset Wildlife Trust Somerset Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Somerset, England. The trust, which was established in 1964, aims to safeguard the county's wildlife and wild places for this and future generations and manages almost 80 nature ...

reserve, fourteen of which are classified 'notable species' in Somerset, and six of which are

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

s. Badgers (''Meles meles'') and

Roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

(''Capreolus capreolus'') frequent the reserve and it is probable that

Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s (''Lutra lutra'') use the river corridor. The site was purchased by the trust following grant assistance from South Somerset Council.

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{{SSSIs Somerset biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1988 Nature reserves in Somerset Wetland Sites of Special Scientific Interest Meadows in Somerset