Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...

is a county in eastern England, with an area of and a population as of mid-2015 of 841,218. It is crossed by the Nene and the

Great Ouse The River Great Ouse () is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the W ...

rivers. The

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, which was founded in the thirteenth century, made the county one of the country's most important intellectual centres. A large part of the county is in

The Fens The Fens, also known as the , in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a ...

, and drainage of this habitat, which probably commenced in the Roman period and was largely completed by the seventeenth century, considerably increased the area available for agriculture. The administrative county was formed in 1974, incorporating most of the historic county of

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popu ...

. Local government is divided between

Cambridgeshire County Council Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council of Cambridgeshire, England. The council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The council is based at New Shire Hall at Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon. It is a me ...

and

Peterborough City Council Peterborough City Council is the local authority for Peterborough in the East of England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The City was incorporated as a municipal borough ...

, which is a separate

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

. Under the county council, there are five district councils,

Cambridge City Council Cambridge City Council is a district council in the county of Cambridgeshire, which governs the City of Cambridge. History Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of a mayor. The first recorde ...

South Cambridgeshire District Council South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

East Cambridgeshire District Council East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

Huntingdonshire District Council Huntingdonshire District Council is the local authority for the district of Huntingdonshire in Cambridgeshire, England. Based in Huntingdon, it forms the lower part of the two tier system of local government in the district, below Cambridgeshire ...

and

Fenland District Council Fenland may mean: * Fenland, or the Fens, an area of low-lying land in eastern England ** Fenland District, a local authority district in Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, forming part of the Fens ** Fenland Airfield, an airfield near Spalding, ...

. In England,

Sites 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 ...

(SSSIs) are designated 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, ...

, which is responsible for protecting England's natural environment. Designation as an SSSI gives legal protection to the most important wildlife and geological sites. As of March 2017, there are 99 sites designated in the county. There are eighty-eight sites listed for their biological interest, ten for their geological interest, and one for both interests. The largest site is

Ouse Washes Ouse Washes is a linear biological Site of Special Scientific Interest stretching from near St Ives in Cambridgeshire to Downham Market in Norfolk. It is also a Ramsar internationally important wetland site, a Special Protection Area for bird ...

at , which is partly in Norfolk. It is internationally important for its wintering and breeding waterfowl and waders, such as

teal alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male) Teal is a greenish-blue colour. Its name comes from that of a bird — the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'') — which presents a similarly coloured stripe on its head. The word is oft ...

, pintail and

wigeon The wigeons or widgeons are a group of birds, dabbling ducks currently classified in the genus ''Mareca'' along with two other species. There are three extant species of wigeon, in addition to one recently extinct species. Biology There are ...

. The smallest is

Delph Bridge Drain Delph Bridge Drain is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Soham in Cambridgeshire. This site has the only known British population of fen ragwort, which was previously believed to have become extinct in the UK in 1857, ...

at , a short stretch of ditch which was designated because it was found to have a population of

fen ragwort ''Jacobaea paludosa'', syn. ''Senecio paludosus'', the fen ragwort, is a species of the genus '' Jacobaea'' and the family Asteraceae that can be found in Northern Italy, and everywhere in Europe (except for Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Por ...

, which was believed to have been extinct in Britain since 1857. The only site designated for both biological and geological interests is

Ely Pits and Meadows Ely Pits and Meadows is an Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the eastern outskirts of Ely in Cambridgeshire. It is the only SSSI in the county which is designated both for its biological and geological interest. It is also a Geologica ...

, which has nationally important numbers of bitterns, and has yielded sauropod

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s and

pliosaur Pliosauroidea is an extinct clade of plesiosaurs, known from the earliest Jurassic to early Late Cretaceous. They are best known for the subclade Thalassophonea, which contained crocodile-like short-necked forms with large heads and massive toot ...

marine reptiles dating to the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

period.

Key

Interest

*B = a site of biological interest *G = a site of geological interest

Public access

*FP = access to footpaths through the site only *NO = no public access to site *PP = public access to part of site *WTPR = Wildlife Trust permit required for access *YES = public access to the whole or most of the site

Other classifications

*GCR =

Geological Conservation Review The Geological Conservation Review (GCR) is produced by the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee and is designed to identify those sites of national and international importance needed to show all the key scientific elements of the geological ...

*LNR = Local nature reserve *NCR = ''

A Nature Conservation Review ''A Nature Conservation Review'' is a two-volume work by Derek Ratcliffe, published by Cambridge University Press in 1977. It set out to identify the most important places for nature conservation in Great Britain. It is often known by the initial ...

'' *NNR = National nature reserve *NT =

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

*Ramsar = Ramsar site, an internationally important wetland site *RSPB =

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment thr ...

*SAC =

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

*SM =

Scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

*SPA =

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

*WT =

Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Tr ...

*WTBCN =

Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN) is a registered charity which manages 126 nature reserves covering . It has over 35,000 members, and 95% of people in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshi ...

*WWT =

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is an international wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Charles III, and its president is Kate Humble. History The WWT was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist a ...

Sites

, SAC ,
Citation
, This extensive area of disused brick clay workings has the largest known population in Britain of

great crested newt The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...

s. There are ten species of

stonewort Charales is an order of freshwater green algae in the division Charophyta, class Charophyceae, commonly known as stoneworts. Depending on the treatment of the genus ''Nitellopsis'', living (extant) species are placed into either one family (Cha ...

, including ''

Chara canescens ''Chara canescens'' is a species of stonewort Charales is an order of freshwater green algae in the division Charophyta, class Charophyceae, commonly known as stoneworts. Depending on the treatment of the genus ''Nitellopsis'', living (extan ...

'', which was previously thought to be extinct in Britain, and four other nationally rare species. , - ! scope="row", Orwell Clunch Pit , The Orwell Clunch Pit - geograph

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...

, ,
Citation
, This former stone quarry has a rich chalk grassland flora, a habitat which has become scarce in eastern England. Herbs including

kidney vetch ''Anthyllis vulneraria'', the common kidneyvetch, kidney vetch or woundwort is a medicinal plant native to Europe. The name ''vulneraria'' means "wound healer". Description ''Anthyllis vulneraria'' reaches of height. The stem is simple or more ...

horseshoe vetch ''Hippocrepis comosa'', the horseshoe vetch, is a species of perennial flowering plant belonging to the genus ''Hippocrepis'' in the family Fabaceae. Description The overall appearance depends on its habitat: sometimes it forms upright clumps ...

, spiny restharrow and

wild thyme ''Thymus serpyllum'', known by the common names of Breckland thyme, Breckland wild thyme, wild thyme, creeping thyme, or elfin thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to most of Europe and North Africa. It ...

. , - ! scope="row",

Drain across the Ouse Washes looking SE - geograph

, align="center", , , , align="center", PP , Ely

, NCR,

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...

, RSPB, SAC, SPA,

WTBCN The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN) is a registered charity which manages 126 nature reserves covering . It has over 35,000 members, and 95% of people in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshi ...

, WWT ,
Citation
, The Washes are internationally significant for wintering and breeding wildfowl and waders, especially

, pintails,

s, shovelers, pochards and

Bewick's swan The tundra swan (''Cygnus columbianus'') is a small swan of the Holarctic. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species: Bewick's swan (''Cygnus bewickii'') of the Palaearctic and the w ...

s. The site also has rich aquatic fauna and flora, and areas of unimproved grassland. , - ! scope="row", Out and Plunder Woods , Shooting platform - geograph

, align="center", , , , align="center", FP , Great Bradley

, ,
Citation
, These woods on

boulder clay Boulder clay is an unsorted agglomeration of clastic sediment that is unstratified and structureless and contains gravel of various sizes, shapes, and compositions distributed at random in a fine-grained matrix. The fine-grained matrix consists o ...

have been little modified since the medieval period, which has allowed the development of a diverse fauna and flora. The main trees are

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

field maple ''Acer campestre'', known as the field maple, is a flowering plant species in the family Sapindaceae. It is native to much of continental Europe, Britain, southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains. It has ...

and

pedunculate oak ''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus. It is widel ...

, and herbs include sweet violet and early dog-violet. , - ! scope="row",

Overhall Grove Overhall Grove is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest to the east of Knapwell in Cambridgeshire. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade II, and it is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northa ...

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Knapwell Knapwell is a hamlet in Cambridgeshire situated about west of Cambridge. It is within the diocese of Ely. Its population was estimated at 110 in 2001. At the 2011 census the population had fallen to fewer than 100. Nearby villages include Box ...

, NCR,

,
Citation
, This site is the largest elm woodland in the county. It was seriously affected by

Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark beetles. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease was accidentally introduced into Americas, America ...

, but many trees have regenerated from their bases, and the mixture of new growth and dead wood provides a very good habitat for insects and birds. , - ! scope="row", Papworth Wood , Papworth Wood 8

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Papworth Everard Papworth Everard is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. It lies ten miles west of Cambridge and six miles south of Huntingdon. Running through its centre is Ermine Street, the old North Road (now the A1198) and the Roman highway that for ...

, ,
Citation
, This is one of the oldest secondary woods in the county. It has diverse ground flora including brambles, rough meadow grass, stinging nettles,

ground ivy ''Glechoma hederacea'' is an aromatic, perennial, evergreen creeper of the mint family Lamiaceae. It is commonly known as ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground, creeping charlie, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, and run-away-robin. It is al ...

, bluebells and primroses. , - ! scope="row", Park Wood , , align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

Brinkley Brinkley may refer to: People * Brinkley (surname) Places * Brinkley, Arkansas, USA * Brinkley, Nottinghamshire, England * Brinkley, Cambridgeshire, England Fictional places * Brinkley Court The following is a list of recurring or notable fict ...

, ,
Citation
, This is woodland of the wet ash/maple type, a scarce and declining habitat. Ground flora include bluebell,

dog's mercury ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.oxlip ''Primula elatior'', the oxlip (or true oxlip), is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to nutrient-poor and calcium-rich damp woods and meadows throughout Europe, with northern borders in Denmark and southern parts o ...

, and there are indicators of

ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...

such as

herb-paris ''Paris quadrifolia'', the herb Paris or true lover's knot, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It occurs in temperate and cool areas throughout Eurasia, from Spain to Yakutia, and from Iceland to Mongolia. It prefers ...

and butterfly-orchid. , - ! scope="row",

Perry Woods Perry Woods is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south-east of Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, Kimbolton in Cambridgeshire. It is composed of three woods, the larger Perry West Wood and the smaller Perry Wood and Ash Wood. These ancient ...

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES , Kimbolton

, ,
Citation
, These ancient woods are of the ash/maple type, an increasingly scarce habitat over its range in lowland England. The rich ground flora includes plants indicative of

such as

wood melick ''Melica uniflora'', commonly known as wood melick, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae that is native to much of Europe, and to parts of South West Asia and North Africa. Description The species rhizomes are elongated. The culms are l ...

and

early-purple orchid ''Orchis mascula'', the early-purple orchid, early spring orchis, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Description ''Orchis mascula'' is a perennial herbaceous plant with stems up to high, green at the base and ...

. , - ! scope="row", Portholme , , align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

, NCR, SAC ,
Citation
, The site is an alluvial flood meadow, and one of the largest areas of grassland which is still traditionally managed as a Lammas meadow. Watercourses have some unusual invertebrates, including the nationally restricted dragonfly '' Libellula fulva''. , - ! scope="row", Roman Road , View NW along the Roman Road - geograph

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, SM ,
Citation
, This green lane has

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

grassland, thick hedges and small copses, which provide a valuable habitat for invertebrates. There are grasses such as

sheep's-fescue ''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla''). General description It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...

and quaking-grass, while herbs include

wild carrot ''Daucus carota'', whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World ...

and

purple milk-vetch Purple milkvetch or purple milk-vetch is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *'' Astragalus agrestis'', native to North America *''Astragalus danicus ''Astragalus danicus'', known as purple milk-vetch, is a species of flowering p ...

. , - ! scope="row", Sawston Hall Meadows , Sawston Hall Meadows 2

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

Sawston Sawston is a large village in Cambridgeshire in England, situated on the River Cam about south of Cambridge. It has a population of 7,260. History Prehistory Although the current village of Sawston has only existed as anything more than a ha ...

, ,
Citation
, This site has spring fed peat meadows on chalk, a habitat formerly common but now rare. It has the nationally rare flower ''

Selinum carvifolia ''Selinum carvifolia'' is a flowering plant of the genus ''Selinum'' in the family Apiaceae. The specific name ''carvifolia'' signifies 'having leaves resembling those of Caraway'. It is a plant of fens and damp meadows, growing in most of Europe, ...

'', which is only found in Cambridgeshire. Drier grassland has a varied flora including spotted-orchid. , - ! scope="row", Shippea Hill , Shippea Hill SSSI 1

, , align="center", , , align="center", NO , Littleport

, GCR ,
Citation
, The succession of sedimentary layers in the

Fens A fen is a type of wetland. Fen, Fenn, Fens, Fenns, may also refer to: People * Fen (name), a Chinese given name and surname * Fen Cresswell (1915–1966), New Zealand cricketer * Fen McDonald (1891–1915), Australian rules footballer * Kees ...

in the

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...

epoch, the period since the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

, was determined on the basis of this site. It is particularly important for dating the "Fen Clay transgression" of the sea into the Fens in 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 p ...

. , - ! scope="row", Snailwell Meadows , Snailwell Meadows 4

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

Snailwell Snailwell is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England around north of Newmarket. History The parish of Snailwell covers an area of in the extension of eastern Cambridgeshire that surrounds the town of Newmarket in Suff ...

, ,
Citation
, The meadows are on peat overlying spring-fed chalk, with a variety of soil conditions. Some areas are dry calcareous pasture, and others are wet neutral and marshy acidic grassland. Flowering plants include the nationally rare

umbellifer Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plant ...

Cambridge milk-parsley. , - ! scope="row",

Soham Wet Horse Fen Soham Wet Horse Fen is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Soham in Cambridgeshire. A field in the north-west corner is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire as Soham Meadow. T ...

, align="center", , , , align="center", PP ,

Soham Soham ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 10,860 at the 2011 census. History Archaeology The region between De ...

,
Citation
, This site is neutral grassland with diverse fauna and flora, including uncommon ones. Wetter areas have herbs such as

green-winged orchid ''Anacamptis morio'', the green-winged orchid or green-veined orchid ( synonym ''Orchis morio''), is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It usually has purple flowers, and is found in Europe and the Middle East. Description It f ...

s and adder's tongue fern, and there are cowslips and

stemless thistle ''Cirsium acaule'' or ''acaulon'' has the English name dwarf thistle or stemless thistle. It is widespread across much of Europe.

s in drier parts.

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a ...

breed in wet pastures. , - ! scope="row", Southorpe Meadow , Southorpe Meadow 4

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Southorpe Southorpe is a settlement and civil parish in the Peterborough district, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. For electoral purposes it forms part of Barnack Barnack is a village and civil parish, now in the Peterborough unit ...

,
Citation
, This is one of the few surviving areas of neutral grassland in the county, where

ridge and furrow Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges (Medieval Latin: ''sliones'') and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages, typical of the open-field system. It is also known as rig (or rigg) and f ...

from medieval ploughing can be seen. There is a rich variety of species, such as

red fescue ''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue or creeping red fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to well-drained soils in ...

in drier areas, and

salad burnet ''Sanguisorba minor'', the salad burnet, garden burnet, small burnet, burnet (also used for ''Sanguisorba'' generally), pimpernelle, Toper's plant, and burnet-bloodwort, is an edible perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae. It has ...

in damper ones. , - ! scope="row", Southorpe Paddock , Southorpe Paddock 3

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

,
Citation
, This site is a rare example of unimproved grassland on the

limestone of eastern England. It has typical limestone plants such as

and

clustered bellflower ''Campanula glomerata'', known by the common names clustered bellflower or Dane's blood, is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Campanula'', belonging to the family Campanulaceae. It is the county flower of Rutland, England. Etymology ...

. Mature hedgerows provide additional habitats for wildlife. , - ! scope="row",

Southorpe Roughs Southorpe Roughs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Southorpe in Cambridgeshire. This is a disused quarry which has grassland on Jurassic limestone. The main grasses are tor-grass and sheep's fescue ''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fe ...

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

, ,
Citation
, This is a disused quarry which has grassland on

limestone. The main grasses are

tor-grass ''Brachypodium pinnatum'', the heath false brome or tor-grass, is a species of grass with a widespread distribution in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It typically grows in calcareous grassland, and reaches tall. The flowerhead is ...

and

sheep's fescue ''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla''). General description It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...

, and there are the nationally rare plants spotted cat's ear and pasque flower. , - ! scope="row", St Neots Common , St Neots Common 2

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES , St Neots

, ,
Citation
, This site on the east bank of the River Great Ouse has grassland, willow carr, ditches and ponds, which support diverse wildlife species. The grassland is traditionally maintained by grazing, and herbs in wetter areas include marsh orchids and marsh arrow grass. , - ! scope="row", Stow-Cum-Quy Fen , Lake on Stow cum Quy Fen - geograph

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Lode In geology, a lode is a deposit of metalliferous ore that fills or is embedded in a fissure (or crack) in a rock formation or a vein of ore that is deposited or embedded between layers of rock. The current meaning (ore vein) dates from the 1 ...

, ,
Citation
, The site is

loam pasture, with diverse flora and open pools which have rare aquatic plants. Grassland herbs include purging flax and

, and there are aquatic plants such as unbranched bur-reed, mare's tail and

bladderwort ''Utricularia'', commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species (precise counts differ based on classification opinions; a 2001 publication lists 215 species).Salmon, Br ...

. , - ! scope="row",

Sutton Heath and Bog Sutton Heath and Bog is an biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Wansford in Cambridgeshire. This site has two types of grassland, both of which are rare in Cambridgeshire. They are calcareous grassland on Jurassic limestone an ...

, align="center", , , , align="center", FP ,

Wansford Wansford may refer to the following places in England: * Wansford, Cambridgeshire ** Wansford railway station, headquarters of the Nene Valley Railway * Wansford, East Riding of Yorkshire {{Geodis ...

, ,
Citation
, This site has

grassland on

limestone and

base-poor In ecology, base-richness is the level of chemical bases in water or soil, such as calcium or magnesium ions. Many organisms prefer base-rich environments. Chemical bases are alkalis, hence base-rich environments are either neutral or alkaline ...

marshy neutral grassland. The base poor areas have a diverse variety of plant species, including some which are locally uncommon. , - ! scope="row", Ten Wood , Ten Wood 7

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

Burrough Green Burrough Green is a village and parish in Cambridgeshire, England. The population of the village at the 2011 census was 378. The soil is various; subsoil, clay and chalk. The chief crops are wheat, barley and roots. The area of the parish is ; t ...

, ,
Citation
, This ancient wood is of the

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

type, which has a high conservation value as it has a restricted and declining distribution. Other trees include hazel and

. There is also a population of the rare

oxlip ''Primula elatior'', the oxlip (or true oxlip), is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to nutrient-poor and calcium-rich damp woods and meadows throughout Europe, with northern borders in Denmark and southern parts o ...

. , - ! scope="row", Thriplow Meadows , Thriplow Meadows 1

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Thriplow Thriplow () is a village in the civil parish of Thriplow and Heathfield, in Cambridgeshire, England, south of Cambridge. The village also gives its name to a former Cambridgeshire hundred. History The parish of Thriplow covers , roughly span ...

, ,
Citation
, The site has two fields with neutral pastures which range from dry to marshy. These lowland habitats are now rare. Wetland herbs include

ragged robin ''Silene flos-cuculi'' (syn. ''Lychnis flos-cuculi''), commonly called ragged-robin, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. This species is native to Europe and Asia, where it is found along roads and in wet meadows and p ...

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 ...

and

purple loosestrife ''Lythrum salicaria'' or purple loosestrifeFlora of NW Europe''Lythrum salicaria'' is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Pr ...

. , - ! scope="row", Thriplow Peat Holes , Thriplow Peat Holes 2

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

, ,
Citation
, The site has rare

alder carr An alder carr is a particular type of carr, i.e. waterlogged wooded terrain populated with alder trees. Examples * Alder Carr, Hildersham * Alderfen Broad * Fawley Ford on the Beaulieu River * Biebrza National Park * Fen Alder Carr * Harsto ...

and fen habitats, enhanced by ditches and ponds, with a wide variety of invertebrates. The main vegetation is

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

and

guelder rose ''Viburnum opulus'', the guelder-rose or guelder rose () is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae (formerly Caprifoliaceae) native to Europe, northern Africa and central Asia. Description ''Viburnum opulus'' is a deciduous shru ...

. , - ! scope="row", Traveller's Rest Pit , , , align="center", , , align="center", NO ,

, GCR ,
Citation
, This is described by

as an important site dating to the Anglian ice age around 450,000 years ago. It also has the most extensive collection of paleolithic stone tools in the county, which are thought to date to the

Cromerian Stage The Cromerian Stage or Cromerian Complex, also called the Cromerian (german: Cromerium), is a stage in the Pleistocene glacial history of north-western Europe, mostly occurring more than half a million years ago. It is named after the East Anglian t ...

, which preceded the Anglian. , - ! scope="row", Upware Bridge Pit North , Upware Bridge Pit North 2

, , align="center", , , align="center", NO , Wicken

, GCR ,
Citation
, This site shows exposes rocks of Oxfordian age, around 160 million years ago. It was then a sea which was connected to the

Tethys Ocean The Tethys Ocean ( el, Τηθύς ''Tēthús''), also called the Tethys Sea or the Neo-Tethys, was a prehistoric ocean that covered most of the Earth during much of the Mesozoic Era and early Cenozoic Era, located between the ancient continents ...

, and it has many Tethyan invertebrate fossils. It is described by

as "an essential site for the study of Oxfordian palaeontology and palaeogeography in the English midlands". , - ! scope="row", Upware North Pit , Upware North Pit 1

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES , Wicken

, ,
Citation
, This site has several flooded pits with areas of willow and hawthorn. It is one of only two British sites which has water germander, a plant listed in the British

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

. Other unusual aquatic plants are great water dock and greater pond sedge. , - ! scope="row", Upware South Pit , Upware South Pit 5

, , align="center", , , align="center", YES ,

Upware Upware is a village in Wicken civil parish, part of East Cambridgeshire, England, lying on the east bank of the River Cam. History Situated in the isolated south-west corner of the parish of Wicken, the hamlet of Upware is believed to have ex ...

, GCR ,
Citation
, This site has rocks dating to the Oxfordian

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

, around 160 million years ago. It was then a

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

, and has fossils of bivalves and

ammonites Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttl ...

, as well as corals, which show affinities with the fauna of the

. It is described by

as a key site in study of the Oxfordian. , - ! scope="row", Upwood Meadows , Bentley Meadow, Upwood Meadows - geograph

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES , Upwood

, NCR,Ratcliffe, ''A Nature Conservation Review'', p. 139 NNR,

,
Citation
, The site has three fields on calcareous clay with poor drainage, a type of pasture now very rare, and was described by

Derek Ratcliffe Derek Almey Ratcliffe (9 July 1929 – 23 May 2005) was one of the most significant British nature conservationists of the 20th century. He was Chief Scientist for the Nature Conservancy Council at the Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Rip ...

as having "an outstandingly rich and diverse flora". One of the fields, which is agriculturally unimproved, has medieval

. , - ! scope="row",

Wansford Pasture Wansford Pasture is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wansford in Cambridgeshire. It is part of the 7.3 hectare Wansford Pasture & Standen's Pasture, a nature reserve managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridges ...

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

,
Citation
, This is a south-facing slope, with

limestone grassland and a flush lower down which has a wide variety of wet-loving plants, including some which are rare in the county. The ecology is maintained by avoiding the use of fertilisers and herbicides, and by grazing. , - ! scope="row", Warboys and Wistow Woods , Warboys Wood 5

, align="center", , , , align="center", PP ,

Warboys Warboys is a large village and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, north-east of Huntingdon. Geology Igneous diorite rocks are located around 171–217 meters below ground at Warboys. Discovered in the ...

,
Citation
, These woods have high conservation value because they are ancient ash and maple, and this habitat has sharply declined in extent since 1945. The woods have diverse flora and fauna, particularly invertebrates. , - ! scope="row", Warboys Clay Pit , Warboys Clay Pit 3

, , align="center", , , align="center", NO ,

, GCR ,
Citation
, According to

this "unrivalled Oxfordian section shows more than of Upper Oxford Clay". It has ammonite fossils dating to the

Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...

, around 160 million years ago. , - ! scope="row", Waresley Wood , Waresleywood 3996

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES , Waresley

,

,
Citation
, This

is mainly

and hazel. There are also rides with diverse flora such as the herbs bush vetch, meadowsweet, greater burnet-saxifrage and

self-heal ''Prunella'' is a genus of herbaceous plants in the family Lamiaceae, also known as self-heals, heal-all, or allheal for their use in herbal medicine. Habitat Most are native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but ''Prunella vulgaris'' (common ...

. , - ! scope="row", Weaveley and Sand Woods , Weaveley Wood 3

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

Gamlingay Gamlingay is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England about west southwest of the county town of Cambridge. The 2011 census gives the village's population as 3,247 and the civil parish's as 3,5 ...

, ,
Citation
, This site has an unusually varied geology, with areas of free-draining

Lower Greensand The Lower Greensand Group is a geological unit present across large areas of Southern England. It was deposited during the Aptian and Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous. It predominantly consists of sandstone and unconsolidated sand that were ...

, poorly drained boulder clay and

clays. The wood is of ancient origin, and tree species include

and

coppiced Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeate ...

and

. Hazel is dominant in the shrub layer. There are uncommon flowers such as

, butterfly orchid and pignut. , - ! scope="row", West, Abbot's and Lound Woods , , align="center", , , , align="center", NO , Wittering

, ,
Citation
, The site has a variety of woodland types, some of which are rare in Britain, including plateau alderwood. There are

plants such as

yellow archangel ''Lamium galeobdolon'', commonly known as yellow archangel, artillery plant, aluminium plant, or yellow weasel-snout, is a widespread wildflower in Europe, and has been introduced elsewhere as a garden plant. It displays the zygomorphic flower mo ...

and

toothwort Toothwort is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Cardamine'', a genus of plants in the mustard family, Brassicaceae *''Lathraea'', a genus of parasitic plants in the family Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a fam ...

. , - ! scope="row", Whitewater Valley , Whitewater Valley 1

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO , Wittering

, ,
Citation
, Habitats in this site include a stream together with associated marsh, tall fen and willow carr. The carr has a varied flora, and the marsh has many plants rare in the county. There are also springs, which have mosses including the uncommon ''

cratoneuron commutatum ''Palustriella commutata'', commonly known as curled hookmoss, is a plant that also goes by the binomial names ''Cratoneuron commutatum'', ''Cratoneuron falcatum'', ''Hypnum commutatum'', and ''Hypnum falcatum''.Qian et al., 164. References ...

''. , - ! scope="row", Whittlesford - Thriplow Hummocky Fields , Whittlesford-Thriplow Hummocky Fields 3

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

Whittlesford Whittlesford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, and also the name of an old hundred. The village is situated on the Granta branch of the River Cam, seven miles south of Cambridge. Whittlesford Parkway railway station serves the village. L ...

, ,
Citation
, This site has the nationally rare grass-poly, and the nationally uncommon

fairy shrimp Anostraca is one of the four orders of crustaceans in the class Branchiopoda; its members are referred to as fairy shrimp. They live in vernal pools and hypersaline lakes across the world, and they have even been found in deserts, ice-covered mo ...

'' chirocephalus diaphanus''. They are found in shallow hollows in arable fields, which are the result of

ice lens Ice lenses are bodies of ice formed when moisture, diffused within soil or rock, accumulates in a localized zone. The ice initially accumulates within small collocated pores or pre-existing crack, and, as long as the conditions remain favorable ...

es melting at the end of the last ice age. , - ! scope="row",

Wicken Fen Wicken Fen is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Wicken in Cambridgeshire. It is also a National Nature Reserve, and a Nature Conservation Review site. It is protected by international designations as a Ramsar wetland si ...

, , align="center", , , , align="center", YES , Wicken

, NCR, NNR, NT,

, SAC ,
Citation
, This is one of the few surviving

East Anglian East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

peat fens, and it has diverse flora and fauna. Herbs include milk parsley and yellow loosestrife, and pools have uncommon aquatic plants such as greater spearwort and

lesser water plantain ''Baldellia ranunculoides'', the lesser water-plantain, is a species of flowering plant in the family Alismataceae. Synonyms Alisma ranunculoides, Echinodorus ranunculoides, Sagittaria ranunculodes Description ''Baldellia ranunculoides'' is an ...

. , - ! scope="row", Wilbraham Fens , Wilbraham Fens 4

, align="center", , , , align="center", NO ,

, ,
Citation
, This is an example of a fen habitat, which is now rare in Britain, with grassland, scrub, ponds and ditches. The dominant fen species is

common reed ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

, which is present in dense stands, together with plants such as

and meadow rue. Herbs include

harebell ''Campanula rotundifolia'', the harebell, Scottish bluebell, or bluebell of Scotland, is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae. This herbaceous perennial is found throughout the temperate regions of the northern hemi ...

and

field scabious ''Knautia arvensis'', commonly known as field scabious, is a herbaceous perennial species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Description It is a perennial plant that grows between . It prefers grassy places and dry ...

. , - ! scope="row",

Woodwalton Fen Woodwalton Fen is a 209 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the parish of Woodwalton, west of Ramsey in Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a Ramsar wetland site of international importance, a National Nature Res ...

, , align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...

, NCR, NNR,

, SAC ,
Citation
, This site has one of the few remaining ranges of flora characteristic of the East Anglian Fens. There are rare fen plants such as fen wood-rush and fen violet, and ditches have uncommon aquatic plants including

and

water violet ''Hottonia palustris'', also water violet or featherfoil, is an aquatic plant in the family Primulaceae. Description The plant has a stem reaching up to in height. Its basal roots are buried in the underlying mud, while other silvery, shiny r ...

. , - ! scope="row", Woodwalton Marsh , Wood Walton Marsh - geograph

, align="center", , , , align="center", YES ,

,
Citation
, This grassland on

clay has diverse flora, including

, quaking grass,

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 ...

, cowslip,

pepper saxifrage ''Silaum silaus'', commonly known as pepper-saxifrage, is a perennial plant in the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) (the carrot family) found across south-eastern, central, and western Europe, including the British Isles. It grows in damp grasslan ...

and the rare sulphur clover. There is also a wide variety of butterflies.

Notes

References

Sources

* {{featured list

Geology of East of England

Key

Interest

Public access

Other classifications

Sites

See also

Notes

References

Sources