Entrance to Fox Hagg nature reserve - geograph

Fox Hagg is a small () nature reserve in the

Rivelin Valley The River Rivelin is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It rises on the Hallam moors, in north west Sheffield, and joins the River Loxley (at Malin Bridge). The Rivelin Valley, through which the river flows, is a -mile-long woodlan ...

area of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, England. The Allen Sike flows along the north edge of the reserve and the

River Rivelin The River Rivelin is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It rises on the Hallam moors, in north west Sheffield, and joins the River Loxley (at Malin Bridge). The Rivelin Valley, through which the river flows, is a -mile-long woodlan ...

flows through the reserve from

Rivelin Dams Rivelin Dams are a pair of water storage reservoirs situated in the upper part of the Rivelin Valley, west of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. The dams are owned by Yorkshire Water and provide water to 319,000 peopleWyming Brook Nature Reserve borders Fox Hagg to the west. The site is managed by the

Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering Sheffield and Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It has 15 reserves with its base in Sheffield. Reserves The trust manages fifteen reserves: : Agden Bog : Blacka Moor :Carbro ...

Geology

The geology of the steep rocky hillside comprises sediments of sandstone, gritstone, mudstone conglomerates and impermeable shales, all dating from the

Carboniferous period The Carboniferous ( ) is a Period (geology), geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago (Myr, Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, ...

and indicative of a fluvial environment. Peat, formed in the

Quaternary period The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three period (geology), periods of the Cenozoic era (geology), Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spa ...

, three million years ago, has been identified by the

British Geological Survey The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. The BGS h ...

History

Permanent settlements were established during the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

with evidence of tree clearance indicating early agricultural exploitation of the land. During the

Medieval Period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

agriculture continued into the valley bottom, with the steeper slopes being reserved for grazing. Walls erected in the post Medieval Era indicate land enclosure at that time. The area was once managed as a holly hagg, where the soft spikeless upper leaves of holly were cut for winter fodder for sheep and cattle. The site is now managed to encourage wildlife and was designated as a local nature reserve in 2004.

Wildlife

Birds

Birds identified at the nature reserve include yellowhammer, lesser redpoll, common linnet, willow tit, bullfinch, song thrush, meadow and tree pipits and wood warbler, dunnock (''Prunella modularis''), and common cuckoo. The Eurasian blackcap (''Sylvia atricapilla''), common blackbird (''Turdus merulus''), and great tit (''Parus major'') are common at the reserve. Osprey (''Pandion haliaetus'') and lapwing (''Vanellus vanellus'') have been seen overflying the site. A number of species of high conservation concern, the song thrush and willow tit have been observed at the reserve.

Amphibians and reptiles

Common toad The common toad, European toad, or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the toad (''Bufo bufo'', from Latin ''bufo'' "toad"), is a frog found throughout most of Europe (with the exception of Ireland, Iceland, and some Mediterranean islands), in ...

s and

viviparous lizard The viviparous lizard, or common lizard, (''Zootoca vivipara'', formerly ''Lacerta vivipara''), is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other species of non-marine reptile, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning i ...

s have been seen at the site.

Mammals

A small mammal survey, carried out in 2005, indicated that voles, field mice and pygmy shrew lived at the reserve. Grey squirrel are known to inhabit the site. Roe deer are known to visit the reserve.

Invertebrates

Two locally uncommon species of flies, ''Myopa buceata'' and ''Servillea ursine'', are found at the site. The dead wood beetles, ''Triplax aenea'' and ''Orchesia undulata'' have been recorded at the nature reserve. The heather beetle (''Lochmaea suturalis'') is common. The moth, ''Coleophora vitisella'', has been found at the site. The hoverfly, ''Cheilosia albipila'' and the orange tip butterfly (''Anthocharis cardamines''), favour the marshy conditions found at wetland locations within the reserve.

Flora

Invasive species

Himalayan balsam (''

Impatiens glandulifera ''Impatiens glandulifera'', Himalayan balsam, is a large annual plant native to the Himalayas. Via human introduction it is now present across much of the Northern Hemisphere and is considered an invasive species in many areas. Uprooting or cutt ...

''), an invasive species is controlled by strimming and hand pulling. In the past Asulox, a fern-specific herbicide, has been used on the site to reduce the amount of bracken at the reserve. Work to thin the wooded areas of the site have been funded by the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respon ...

, as has the installation post and rail fence at the Lodge Lane car park.

Broad-leaved woodland

The site has mixture of habitats, including broad-leaved woodland, which is dominated by oak, birch and rowan. Alder and willow are found in wetland areas of the reserve.

Heathland

There are of heathland at the nature reserve. This is dominated by bilberry, with areas of bracken, bramble and wavy hair-grass.

Facilities

The nature reserve is crossed by a number of

public rights of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

, including both footpaths and bridleways. The reserve has parking for five vehicles at the Lodge Lane entrance to the site. Additional parking is available at the Rivelin Dams to the north west of the reserve. The condition of the site is monitored by Sheffield City Council as part of their Sheffield Local Biodiversity Action Plan.

Artistic representation

The hillside at Fox Hagg, just below Lodge Moor, was painted in 1941 by Lionel Maurice de Sausmarez ARA. W. E. Smith depicted the valley from a vantage point at Bell Hagg, overlooking the reserve, .

References

{{Coord, 53.375, -1.578, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Geography of Sheffield Nature reserves in South Yorkshire