Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fens are 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 ...

(SSSI) on the

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

border. Blo' Norton Fen is in the parish of

Blo' Norton Blo' Norton is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England, on the River Little Ouse, about west of Diss. The 2001 Census recorded the parish population as 270 people, living in about 100 households. Early histo ...

in Norfolk and Thelnetham Fen is in

Thelnetham Thelnetham is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the southern bank of the River Little Ouse (the Norfolk-Suffolk border), six miles west of Diss, in 2005 its population was 230. The ...

parish in Suffolk. It is a

Nature Conservation Review ''A Nature Conservation Review'' is a two-volume work by Derek Ratcliffe, published by Cambridge University Press in 1977. It set out to identify the most important places for nature conservation in Great Britain. It is often known by the initial ...

site, Grade 2, and part of the Waveney and Little Ouse Valley Fens Special Area of Conservation, Thelnetham Fen is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Blo' Norton Fen by the

Little Ouse Headwaters Project The Little Ouse Headwaters Project (LOHP) was set up in 2002 by local residents to promote conservation and enjoyment of the fenland habitats bordering the upper reaches of the River Little Ouse, which lies on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. The site ...

(LOHP).

Location

The site is located on the Norfolk-Suffolk border to the south of A1066 Diss to Thetford road and north of the A143 between Diss and

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...

. It is west of Diss, south-east of Thetford and north-east of Bury St Edmunds. The Redgrave and Lopham Fen SSSI is east of the site.

Ecology

The site consists of areas of calcareous

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. T ...

wetland and associated

carr woodland Carr may refer to: Geography United States * Carr, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Carr, North Carolina, an unincorporated community * Carr Township, Clark County, Indiana * Carr Township, Jackson County, Indiana * Carr Township, Durham ...

and meadow along the

Little Ouse The River Little Ouse is a river in the east of England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. For much of its length it defines the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk. It rises east of Thelnetham, close to the source of the River Waveney, wh ...

river which marks the county boundary. It is notable for being an internationally important site for the rare black bog rush ''

Schoenus nigricans ''Schoenus nigricans'' is a species of sedge known by the common names black bog-rush''Schoenus ni ...

'' and saw sedge ''

Cladium mariscus ''Cladium mariscus'' is a species of flowering plant in the Cyperaceae, sedge family known by the common names swamp sawgrass, great fen-sedge, saw-sedge or sawtooth sedge. Previously it was known as elk sedge. It is native of temperate Europe an ...

'' plant species. The site supports a "very large number of plant species" on the wetter

areas. Dominant species tend to be black bog rush ''

Schoenus nigricans ''Schoenus nigricans'' is a species of sedge known by the common names black bog-rush''Schoenus ni ...

'', saw sedge ''

'' and purple moor grass ''

Molinia caerulea ''Molinia caerulea'', known by the common name purple moor-grass, is a species of grass that is native to Europe, west Asia, and north Africa. It grows in locations from the lowlands up to in the Alps. Like most grasses, it grows best in acid so ...

'', with species such as fen orchid '' Dactylorchis praetermissa'', devil’s bit scabious ''

Succisa pratensis ''Succisa pratensis'', also known as devil's-bit or devil's-bit scabious, is a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has four-lobed flowers, whereas small scabious and field s ...

'', long-stalked yellow sedge '' Carex lepidocarpa'', quaking grass '' Briza media'', parnassus ''

Parnassia palustris ''Parnassia palustris'', the marsh grass of Parnassus, northern grass-of-Parnassus, or just grass-of-Parnassus, and bog star, is a flowering plant in the staff-vine family Celastraceae. It is the county flower of Cumberland in England, and appea ...

'' and a number of rare mosses also found in these areas. Other areas of the fen become drier during periods of dry weather and support a different range of plant life. Taller vegetation is more common, particularly reed '' Phragmites australis'' and meadowsweet ''

Filipendula ulmaria ''Filipendula ulmaria'', commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia (Near east and Middle east). It has ...

''. Different plants are associated with this vegetation, increasing biodiversity to include species such as hemp agrimony ''

Eupatorium cannabinum ''Eupatorium cannabinum'', commonly known as hemp-agrimony, or holy rope, is a herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a robust Perennial plant, perennial native to many areas of Europe. The alkaloids may be present in the plant material ...

'', purple loosestrife '' Lythrum salicaria'' and great hairy willowherb '' Epilobium hirsutum''. Scrub and woodland vegetation has developed throughout the fens with sallow and alder predominant in these areas, although Blo' Norton Fen has some

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

woodland. Surrounding meadowlands and ditches support other species, including, for example, ragged robin ''

Lychnis flos-cuculi ''Silene flos-cuculi'' (syn. ''Lychnis flos-cuculi''), commonly called ragged-robin, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. This species is native to Europe and Asia, where it is found along roads and in wet meadows and p ...

'', marsh marigold ''

Caltha palustris ''Caltha palustris'', known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium size perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It flower ...

''. Bird species found on the site include

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a near ...

and

grasshopper warbler The grass warblers are small passerine birds belonging to the genus ''Locustella''. Formerly placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warbler" assemblage, they are now considered the northernmost representatives of a largely Gondwanan family, the ...

and the protected Eurasian water shrew is found in the area.

Management

Management includes the managed cutting of fen vegetation on a four year rotation in order to maintain biodiversity and a range of habitats.Blo' Norton Fen
Little Ouse Headwaters Project. Retrieved 2013-01-31. The adjacent area of Hinderclay Fen was removed from the SSSI area in 1983 following drainage projects causing the area to dry out.Hinderclay Fen
Little Ouse Headwaters Project. Retrieved 2013-01-31. The LOHP has begun to manage the area to return the area to a more semi-natural state, including cutting scrub vegetation and creating ponds on the site. The fen areas were traditionally used for sites for cutting

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

for fuel and for fuelwood. Marked paths, including areas of boardwalk and a footbridge across the Little Ouse, provide access for visitors and the

Angles Way The Angles Way is a long-distance footpath in England, close to the River Waveney and River Little Ouse and thus close to the Norfolk/Suffolk border between Great Yarmouth and Thetford. Originally the Angles Way went only as far as Knettishall ...

path passes through the SSSI.

Access

There is access to Thelnetham Fen from Loggers Lane and Blo' Norton Fen from Fen Road. The fens are connected by a bridge across the River Little Ouse, and the

footpath runs through Thelnetham Fen.

References

{{Authority control Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Suffolk Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Norfolk Fens of England Suffolk Wildlife Trust

Location

Ecology

Management

Access

See also

References