Temple Island Meadows 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 ...

on the

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-eas ...

bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

. It is north of

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, west of Maidenhead, southeast of Oxford and west of London (by road), near the tripoint of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Bucki ...

and opposite Temple Island, an island in the Thames. The site is composed of several wet meadows, which are grazed by sheep. They are seasonally flooded and waterlogged and have a diverse flora and fauna. Plants include the nationally rare summer snowflake and

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

and early marsh orchids, which are found in locations with a long history of undisturbed grassland management. There are invertebrates such as the endangered marsh fly '' Dicheptophora findlandica'' and the rare dragonfly '' Gomphus vulgatissimus''. There are also areas of wet woodland, and the diverse habitats attract a variety of breeding birds. A riverside footpath crosses the site.

References

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