Hatherton Flush is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by the
River Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included ...
in
Hatherton, near
Wybunbury,
Cheshire, England. It is protected for its variety of
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
plants. Species found at the site include the locally rare plants
marsh helleborine,
marsh lousewort and
tubular water dropwort. Hatherton Flush is the largest example of this kind of
flush
Flush may refer to:
Places
* Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States
Architecture, construction and manufacturing
* Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers
* Flush deck, in naval architecture
* Fl ...
in the county.
[Cheshire Wildlife Trust, pp. 7, 22] The site was assessed as being in an "unfavourable"/"recovering" condition in 2008.
Description
Hatherton Flush SSSI is located at , on the east bank of the
River Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included ...
.
It is on private land, immediately southeast of a public footpath from the
A529 at Chapel Farm that crosses the Weaver via a footbridge. Mineral-bearing groundwater from local
aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...
s gradually drips down the steep riverbank, forming a
flush
Flush may refer to:
Places
* Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States
Architecture, construction and manufacturing
* Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers
* Flush deck, in naval architecture
* Fl ...
, a type of
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
which is similar to a
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
-fed
fen
A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich Groundwater, 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 ...
, but with a slower water flow. The type of vegetation depends on the underlying geology, here
glacial deposits
image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
.
The SSSI covers an area of .
The flush is designated for the variety of
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
plants it supports, described by
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
as an "excellent assemblage,"
and much of the site supports a wide range of plants. These include several species of
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 flowerin ...
, which grow in abundance at the site, particularly
common spotted orchid
''Dactylorhiza fuchsii'', the common spotted orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae.
''Dactylorhiza fuchsii'' is one of Europe's commonest wild orchids. It is widespread across much of Europe, with the range ...
(''Dactylorhiza fuchsii'') and
southern marsh orchid
''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 praetermissa''), and also the locally rare species,
marsh helleborine (''Epipactis palustris'').
Seven species of
sedge
The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus '' Carex'' ...
(''Carex'') are found in this area of the SSSI, as well as the locally rare species
marsh lousewort (''Pedicularis palustris'') and
tubular water dropwort (''Oenanthe fistulosa''), and the locally scarce species
bog pimpernel (''Anagallis tenella'') and
marsh valerian (''Valeriana dioica''). Other plants include
marsh pennywort (''Hydrocotyle vulgaris''),
marsh arrowgrass (''Triglochin palustris'') and
great horsetail (''Equisetum telmateia'').
The southern part of the flush is less diverse, supporting predominantly a mix of
rushes (''Juncus'') and
fleabane Fleabane is a common name for some flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.
Most are in the subfamily Asteroideae:
* '' Conyza'' (butterweeds or horseweeds: Astereae)
* '' Erigeron'' (Astereae)
* ''Inula'' ("yellowheads": Inuleae)
* '' Pluchea ...
(''Pulicaria dysenterica'').
The flush is situated within an area of
acidic grassland, part of which has not been improved, and is limited to a few plant species. Typical
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
species are
crested dog's-tail
''Cynosurus cristatus'', the crested dog's-tail, is a short-lived perennial grass in the family Poaceae, characterised by a seed head that is flat on one side. It typically grows in species rich grassland. It thrives in a variety of soil types ...
(''Cynosurus cristatus'') and
heathgrass (''Danthonia decumbens''), while
broad-leaved flowering plants include
bird's-foot trefoil (''Lotus corniculatus''),
devil's-bit scabious (''Succisa pratensis'') and
sheep's sorrel
''Rumex acetosella'', commonly known as red sorrel, sheep's sorrel, field sorrel and sour weed, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Native to Eurasia and the British Isles, the plant and its subspecies are commo ...
(''Rumex acetosella''). The locally scarce
spiny restharrow (''Ononis spinosa'') also grows on the site.
Photographs
Some of the species found at the SSSI (not photographed there); flush species:
File:Dactylorhiza fuchsii Mariazell 01.JPG, Common spotted orchid
File:Dactylorhiza praetermissa (plants).jpg, Southern marsh orchid
File:Epipactis palustris 230705.jpg, Marsh helleborine
File:Epipactis palustris-01-Kaernten-2008-Thomas Huntke.jpg, Marsh helleborine flower
File:PedicularisPalustris.jpg, Marsh lousewort
File:Anagallis tenella Gors Goch.jpg, Bog pimpernel
File:HydrocotyleVulgaris.jpg, Marsh pennywort
File:Triglochium palustris BotGartBln310505.JPG, Marsh arrowgrass
File:Equisetopsida.jpg, Great horsetail
Grassland species:
File:Kamgras (Cynosurus cristatus).jpg, Crested dog's-tail
File:Lotus corniculatus10.JPG, Bird's-foot trefoil
File:SuccisaPratensis2.jpg, Devil's-bit scabious
File:Ahosuolaheinä (Rumex acetosella).jpg, Sheep's sorrel
File:Ononis spinosa 1.jpg, Spiny restharrow
Condition and management
The site was assessed by Natural England as being in "unfavourable" but "recovering" condition in July 2008, after removal of
scrub and changes to the way in which the area is grazed.
According to Natural England, management requires avoidance of drainage or water extraction, as well as protection of the groundwater aquifer from excessive animal faeces and animal feed, fertilisers, lime, pesticides, herbicides and other agricultural chemicals. Some grazing is considered beneficial.
See also
*
List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cheshire
There are 63 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Cheshire, England, covering a total area of 19,844 hectares (49,035 acres). Of these, 51 have been designated for their biological interest, 7 for their geological or geomorphological ...
References
;Source
*{{citation , url=http://www.wybunburynp.co.uk/CWT%20NATURAL%20LANDSCAPE%20REPORT%2004.18.pdf , title=Protecting and Enhancing Wybunbury and Neighbouring Parishes' Natural Environment , author=
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
The Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) is a wildlife trust covering the county of Cheshire and parts of the counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England. The trust's chairman is Bill Stothart. It manages 43 nature reserves totalling over 470 ...
, date=April 2018 , accessdate=10 March 2020
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cheshire
Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1985
Landforms of Cheshire