Folly Farm is a traditionally managed working farm and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

run by the

Avon Wildlife Trust The Avon Wildlife Trust aims to protect and promote wildlife in the area of the former county of Avon — now Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, in England. It has its headquarters in Bristol and run ...

. It is located between Stowey, Clutton and

Stanton Wick Stanton may refer to: Places United Kingdom ;Populated places * Stanton, Derbyshire, near Swadlincote * Stanton, Gloucestershire * Stanton, Northumberland * Stanton, Staffordshire * Stanton, Suffolk * New Stanton, Derbyshire * Stanton by B ...

in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

of Stowey in the English county of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. The farm house is 18th century and the surrounding land includes neutral grassland, wildflower meadows and woodlands with splendid views. Much of Folly Farm is designated as 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 ...

. Some of the land has never been ploughed. The SSSI comprises two adjacent areas, the meadows (19.36 hectares) and Dowlings Wood (9 hectares). It is also a Local Nature Reserve. It can be found near

Bishop Sutton Bishop Sutton () is a village on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills, within the affluent Chew Valley in Somerset. It lies east of Chew Valley Lake and north east of the Mendip Hills, approximately ten miles south of Bristol on the A368, ...

in the

Chew Valley The Chew Valley is an affluent area in North Somerset, England, named after the River Chew, which rises at Chewton Mendip, and joins the River Avon at Keynsham. Technically, the area of the valley is bounded by the water catchment area of ...

, just off the A368. The site is situated on a curved ridge of land on neutral soils derived from the underlying Keuper Marl. The soil is of the Icknield Association with dark brown, moist but moderately well-drained clay. The nature reserve includes the Folly Oak which is over 400 years old.

Wildlife

It attracts a wide range of birds including marsh tit (''Parus palustris''),

buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Eastern ...

(''Buteo buteo'') and great spotted woodpecker (''Dendrocopos major''). The pasture is of a kind now rare in the area. In summer the site has a wide variety of flowers such as betony (''Stachys''),

oxeye daisy ''Leucanthemum vulgare'', commonly known as the ox-eye daisy, oxeye daisy, dog daisy, marguerite (french: Marguerite commune, "common marguerite") and other common names, is a widespread flowering plant native to Europe and the temperate regions ...

(''Leucanthemum vulgare'') and heath spotted orchid (''Orchidaceae''). In late summer, it is covered with drifts of black

knapweed ''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding re ...

(''Centaurea'') and devil's bit

scabious ''Scabiosa'' is a genus in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) of flowering plants. Many of the species in this genus have common names that include the word scabious, but some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in r ...

(scabiosa). Many butterflies can be seen throughout the summer, including

marsh fritillary The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval s ...

(''Euphydryas aurina''), ringlet (''Aphantopus hyperantus''),

gatekeeper A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to something, for example via a city gate or bouncer, or more abstractly, controls who is granted access to a category or status. Gatekeepers assess who is "in or out", in the classic words of manage ...

(''Pyronia tithonus'') and marbled white (''Melanargia galathea''). A number of scarce species of fly are listed from the site in Gibbs (2002). The

cranefly Crane fly is a common name referring to any member of the insect family Tipulidae. Cylindrotominae, Limoniinae, and Pediciinae have been ranked as subfamilies of Tipulidae by most authors, though occasionally elevated to family rank. In the most ...

'' Atypophthalmus inustus'' was recorded in Folly Wood in 2001 and the cranefly '' Ormosia bicornis'' was found in both Folly Wood and Dowlings Wood in 2000–2001. Prior to these records there had been no previous published records from the county of

. The fungus gnats '' Keroplatus testaceus'', '' Macrocera pusilla'', '' Megophthalmidia crassicornis'', ''

Exechiopsis dumitrescae ''Exechiopsis'' is a genus of fungus gnats in the family Mycetophilidae. Species *''Exechiopsis'' Tuomikoski, 1966 *:'' E. aemula'' Plassmann, 1984 *:'' E. angulosa'' Ostroverkhova, 1979 *:'' E. argillacea'' Ostroverkhova, 1979 *:'' E. belogorsk ...

'' and ''

Exechiopsis membranacea ''Exechiopsis'' is a genus of fungus gnats in the family Mycetophilidae. Species *''Exechiopsis'' Tuomikoski, 1966 *:'' E. aemula'' Plassmann, 1984 *:'' E. angulosa'' Ostroverkhova, 1979 *:'' E. argillacea'' Ostroverkhova, 1979 *:'' E. belogorsk ...

'' have all been recorded, the first four in 2000 in Dowlings Wood, and the last at Folly Wood in 2001. Other species recorded at Dowlings Wood in 2000 were '' Platypalpus mikii'', a member of the family Hybotidae, and the

hoverfly Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, whil ...

Volucella inflata ''Volucella inflata'' is a large species of European hoverfly. Description ''V. inflata'' is a large, short-haired fly. Though a little smaller than most European species of ''Volucella'', typical body length is 12–15 mm and wing length i ...

'', while the soldierfly '' Oxycera pardalina'' was recorded from Folly Wood in 2001. Finally, the

picture-winged fly The Ulidiidae (formerly Otitidae) or picture-winged flies are a large and diverse cosmopolitan family of flies (Diptera), and as in related families, most species are herbivorous or detritivorous. They are often known as picture-winged flies, alo ...

'' Herina palustris'' and the hoverflies ''

Criorhina ranunculi ''Criorhina '' is a genus of hoverflies. Medium to large sized species, black or greenish black, with or without light ground markings mimicking bumblebees .The head is much flattened and broader than the thorax. The antennae are situated upon ...

'' and ''

Orthonevra brevicornis ''Orthonevra brevicornis'' is a species of hoverfly. References Diptera of Europe Eristalinae Insects described in 1843 Taxa named by Hermann Loew {{Syrphidae-stub ...

'' were recorded at Folly Farm in 1999.Natural England SSSI citation sheet

Folly Farm Centre

The site was purchased from the

Strachey family Strachey is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Strachey family of Sutton Court, Somerset *John Strachey (d. 1674), friend of John Locke **John Strachey (geologist) (1671–1743), British geologist ***Henry Strachey of Sutton Cour ...

who were lords of the manor of the nearby Sutton Court in 1987. Avon Wildlife Trust opened Folly Farm Centre as an education venue in May 2008. The insulation in the centre's roofs is provided by sheep's wool. It also has a solar panel, a biomass boiler fired by wood pellets and a willow sewage treatment area.

Gallery

Image:Follyfarmreception.JPG, Folly Farm reception Image:Follyfarmbuilding.JPG, Farm buildings now used for exhibitions Image:Follyfarmbuilding2.JPG, Farm buildings now used for exhibitions

References

External links

Folly FarmAWT page of Folly Farm
{{SSSIs Avon biological Bath and North East Somerset Farms in Somerset Mendip Hills Neutral grassland Sites of Special Scientific Interest Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Avon Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1987 Woodland Sites of Special Scientific Interest Local Nature Reserves in Somerset

Wildlife

Folly Farm Centre

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links