Easton Farm Meadow 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 ...

in Easton, west of Boxford in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. It is in the

North Wessex Downs The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The name ''North Wessex Downs'' is not a traditional one, the area covered being better kno ...

. The site is lowland neutral grassland In the past the meadows around Easton Farm were managed traditionally as 'floated' water meadows.

Fauna

The site has the following animals

Birds

* Snipe

Invertebrates

* Silis ruficollis *

Zicrona caerulea ''Zicrona caerulea'', the blue shieldbug, is a species of bug of the family Pentatomidae. Description ''Zicrona caerulea'' can reach an adult size of about . The body is uniformly metallic blue-green (hence the Latin name ''caerulea'', meaning ...

* Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata *

Nemotelus pantherinus ''Nemotelus pantherinus'', the fen snout, is a European species of soldier fly The soldier flies (Stratiomyidae, sometimes misspelled as Stratiomyiidae, from Greek - soldier; - fly) are a family of flies (historically placed in the now-obso ...

Flora

The site has the following Flora: *

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 ...

* Eleocharis palustris *

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 ...

Angelica sylvestris ''Angelica sylvestris'' or wild angelica is a species of flowering plant, native to Europe and central Asia. An annual or short-lived perennial growing to a maximum of , it has erect purplish stems and rounded umbels of minuscule white or pale p ...

* Cirsium palustre *

Galium uliginosum ''Galium uliginosum'' or fen bedstraw is a plant species of the genus ''Galium''. It is widespread across most of Europe as well as Morocco, Western Siberia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Xinjiang. It is reportedly naturalized in New Zealand, Greenland ...

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 ...

Holcus lanatus ''Holcus lanatus'' is a perennial grass. The specific epithet ' is Latin for 'woolly' which describes the plant's hairy texture. Common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass. In North America, where it is an invasive ...

Valeriana dioica ''Valeriana dioica'', the marsh valerian, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Valeriana ''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many ...

Carex panicea ''Carex panicea'', commonly known as carnation sedge, is a plant species in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. It is known as grass-like sedge and can be found in Northern and Western Europe, and also in north-eastern North America. The plant produ ...

Carex nigra ''Carex nigra'' is a perennial species of plants in the family Cyperaceae native to wetlands of Europe, western Asia, northwestern Africa, and eastern North America. Common names include common sedge, black sedge or smooth black sedge. The easte ...

* Iris pseudacorus * Rumex hydrolapathum *

Carex acutiformis ''Carex acutiformis'', the lesser pond-sedge, is a species of sedge. Description It grows up to tall, with leaves up to long and wide. Ecology It is native to parts of northern and western Europe, where it grows in moist spots in a number of ...

Carex paniculata ''Carex paniculata'', the greater tussock-sedge, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. It grows high and can be found in most of Europe (including Britain), Northwest Asia and North America North America i ...

Dactylorhiza praetermissa ''Dactylorhiza praetermissa'', the southern marsh orchid or leopard marsh orchid, is a commonly occurring species of European orchid. Description ''Dactylorhiza praetermissa'' grows to tall, with leaves generally unspotted. The flowers, appea ...

* Dactylorhiza incarnata *

Blysmus compressus ''Blysmus compressus'' is a species of flat sedge belonging to the family Cyperaceae. Its native range is Europe to Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinen ...

References

{{SSSIs Berks Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Berkshire Welford, Berkshire