Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fens are 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 ...

(SSSI) on the

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

border in England. Blo' Norton Fen is in the parish of Blo' Norton in Norfolk and Thelnetham Fen is in

Thelnetham Thelnetham is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the southern bank of the River Little Ouse (the Norfolk-Suffolk border), six miles west of Diss, in 2005 its population was 230. Th ...

parish in Suffolk. It is 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 initi ...

site, Grade 2, and part of the Waveney and Little Ouse Valley Fens

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 ap ...

, Thelnetham Fen is managed by the

Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) describes itself as the county's "nature charity – the only organisation dedicated wholly to safeguarding Suffolk's wildlife and countryside." It is a registered charity, and its headquarters is at Brooke House i ...

and Blo' Norton Fen by the

Little Ouse Headwaters Project The Little Ouse Headwaters Project (LOHP) was set up in 2002 by local residents to promote conservation and enjoyment of the fenland habitats bordering the upper reaches of the River Little Ouse, which lies on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. The sit ...

(LOHP).

Location

The site is located on the Norfolk-Suffolk border to the south of A1066 Diss to

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...

road and north of the A143 between Diss and

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

. It is west of Diss, south-east of Thetford and north-east of Bury St Edmunds. The Redgrave and Lopham Fen SSSI is east of the site.

Ecology

The site consists of areas of calcareous

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...

wetland and associated carr woodland and meadow along the

Little Ouse The River Little Ouse, also known as the Brandon River, is a river in the east of England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. For much of its length it defines the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk. It rises east of Thelnetham, close to ...

river which marks the county boundary. It is notable for being an internationally important site for the rare black bog rush ''

Schoenus nigricans ''Schoenus nigricans'' is a species of sedge known by the common names black bog-rush''Schoenus ni ...

'' and saw sedge ''

Cladium mariscus ''Cladium mariscus'' is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names swamp sawgrass, great fen-sedge, saw-sedge or sawtooth sedge. Previously it was known as elk sedge. It is native of temperate Europe and Asia wher ...

'' plant species. The site supports a "very large number of plant species" on the wetter

areas. Dominant species tend to be black bog rush ''

Schoenus nigricans ''Schoenus nigricans'' is a species of sedge known by the common names black bog-rush''Schoenus ni ...

'', saw sedge ''

'' and purple moor grass ''

Molinia caerulea ''Molinia caerulea'', known by the common name purple moor-grass, is a species of grass that is native to Europe, west Asia, and north Africa. It grows in locations from the lowlands up to in the Alps. Like most grasses, it grows best in acid s ...

'', with species such as fen orchid '' Dactylorchis praetermissa'', devil’s bit scabious ''

Succisa pratensis ''Succisa pratensis'', also known as devil's-bit or devil's-bit scabious, is a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has four-lobed flowers, whereas '' Scabiosa columbaria'' ( ...

'', long-stalked yellow sedge '' Carex lepidocarpa'', quaking grass ''

Briza media ''Briza media'' is a perennial grass in the family Poaceae and is a species of the genus '' Briza''. Common name includes quaking-grass, common quaking grass, cow-quake, didder, dithering-grass, dodder-grass, doddering dillies, doddle-grass, ear ...

'', parnassus ''

Parnassia palustris ''Parnassia palustris'', the marsh grass of Parnassus, northern grass-of-Parnassus, or just grass-of-Parnassus, and bog star, is a flowering plant in the staff-vine family Celastraceae. It is the county flower of Cumberland in England, and appea ...

'' and a number of rare mosses also found in these areas. Other areas of the fen become drier during periods of dry weather and support a different range of plant life. Taller vegetation is more common, particularly reed ''

Phragmites australis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is a wetland grass that can grow up to tall and has a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide. Description ''Phragmites australis' ...

'' and meadowsweet ''

Filipendula ulmaria ''Filipendula ulmaria'', commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia (Near East and Middle East). It has ...

''. Different plants are associated with this vegetation, increasing biodiversity to include species such as hemp agrimony ''

Eupatorium cannabinum ''Eupatorium cannabinum'', commonly known as hemp-agrimony, or holy rope, is a herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a robust Perennial plant, perennial native to Europe, NW. Africa, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, the Caucasus and ...

'', purple loosestrife ''

Lythrum salicaria ''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 ...

'' and great hairy willowherb ''

Epilobium hirsutum ''Epilobium hirsutum'' is a flowering plant belonging to the willowherb genus '' Epilobium'' in the family Onagraceae. It is commonly known as the great willowherb, great hairy willowherb or hairy willowherb. Local names include codlins-and-cream ...

''. Scrub and woodland vegetation has developed throughout the fens with

sallow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

and

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

predominant in these areas, although Blo' Norton Fen has some

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and ash woodland. Surrounding meadowlands and ditches support other species, including, for example, ragged robin ''

Lychnis flos-cuculi ''Silene flos-cuculi'' (syn. ''Lychnis flos-cuculi''), the ragged-robin, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Eurasia and Siberia and has been introduced to North America. Description ''Silene flos-c ...

'', marsh marigold ''

Caltha palustris ''Caltha palustris'', known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium sized perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It flow ...

''. Bird species found on the site include

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. ''Gallinago'' snipe have a nearly ...

and

grasshopper warbler The common grasshopper warbler or just grasshopper warbler (''Locustella naevia'') is a species of Old World warbler in the genus ''Locustella''. It breeds across much of temperate Europe and the western Palearctic. It is migratory, wintering ac ...

and the protected

Eurasian water shrew The Eurasian water shrew (''Neomys fodiens''), known in the United Kingdom as the water shrew, is a relatively large shrew, up to long, with a tail up to three-quarters as long again. It has short, dark fur, often with a few white tufts, a white ...

is found in the area.

Management

Management includes the managed cutting of fen vegetation on a four year rotation in order to maintain biodiversity and a range of habitats.Blo' Norton Fen
Little Ouse Headwaters Project. Retrieved 2013-01-31. The adjacent area of Hinderclay Fen was removed from the SSSI area in 1983 following drainage projects causing the area to dry out.Hinderclay Fen
Little Ouse Headwaters Project. Retrieved 2013-01-31. The LOHP has begun to manage the area to return the area to a more semi-natural state, including cutting scrub vegetation and creating ponds on the site. The fen areas were traditionally used for sites for cutting

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

for fuel and for fuelwood. Marked paths, including areas of boardwalk and a footbridge across the Little Ouse, provide access for visitors and the

Angles Way The Angles Way is a long-distance footpath in England, close to the River Waveney and River Little Ouse and thus close to the Norfolk/Suffolk border between Great Yarmouth and Thetford. Originally the Angles Way went only as far as Knettishall ...

path passes through the SSSI.

Access

There is access to Thelnetham Fen from Loggers Lane and Blo' Norton Fen from Fen Road. The fens are connected by a bridge across the

River Little Ouse The River Little Ouse, also known as the Brandon River, is a river in the east of England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. For much of its length it defines the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk. It rises east of Thelnetham, close to ...

, and the

footpath runs through Thelnetham Fen.

References

{{Authority control Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Suffolk Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Norfolk Fens of England Suffolk Wildlife Trust

Location

Ecology

Management

Access

See also

References