Mottey Meadows National Nature Reserve (NNR) consists of a series of

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

flood meadows near the village of

Wheaton Aston Wheaton Aston is a small village in Staffordshire, England about 9 miles south west of Stafford and 7 miles west of Cannock. It is located beside Bridge 19 of the Shropshire Union Canal. The civil parish is called Lapley, Stretton and Wheaton A ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The meadows have been managed for hay making for many centuries. They support over 240 species of

flowering plants Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

, including the rare snake's-head fritillary. The site is an outstanding floristically-diverse mesotrophic grassland where traditional late hay cutting and aftermath grazing has been perpetuated, largely unaffected by modern agricultural practices. The site is important because of its large size, variety of grassland community types and presence of rare species. Further more it contains an extensive example of an alluvial flood meadow. Examples of grassland types found on the site include MG4 and MG8. The meadows are rich with a variety of orchids during the late spring and summer. The site is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a European Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and is carefully managed 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, ...

with support from th
Friends of Mottey Meadows
and th
Floodplain Meadows Partnership
Full details of th
site designations
can be found on the Natural England register of Designated Sites

References

{{reflist

External links

Mottey Meadows site designations (Natural England)Map of the area on OpenStreetMap
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Staffordshire National nature reserves in England South Staffordshire District Grasslands of the United Kingdom Meadows in Staffordshire