Inkpen Crocus Fields

Inkpen Crocus Fields is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) based in Berkshire near Inkpen.[1] It is within the North Wessex Downs.[2] The area is managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.[3] It is one of only two places in the UK containing wild Mediterranean crocuses.[4] The site contains over 400,000 Wild Crocus.[5]

Geography

Inkpen crocus field

The site is 7.9 acres in size.[2] The field is old pasture which has not been ploughed or ‘improved’ with fertilisers. Cattle are used to graze the site in the summer and autumn to ensure coarse grasses don’t out-compete the flower-rich sward and orchids.[1]

The crocus field slopes down to a spring-fed stream, then rises to become fine meadowland. Along the edge of the pasture an old hedgerow offers food and refuge to a host of birds.[5]


History

Inkpen parish records have shown the crocuses have been there for at least 200 years.[1] There is a local legend that 12th-century Crusaders brought the crocuses back from Europe as a source of saffron to flavour food.[6]

In 1986 the site was designated a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).[2] The site was created as a SSSI not for its crocuses, as they are non-native, but for its species-rich meadowland.[6]

Fauna

The site has the following fauna:[7][5][6]

Birds

Mammals

Invertebrates


Flora

The site has the following Flora:[2][7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Inkpen Crocus Field in bloom | Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust". Bbowt.org.uk. 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Site Name: Inkpen Crocus Fields" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  3. ↑ Tony and Val (2013-03-18). "Walks among Flowers: Berkshire: Inkpen Crocus Field and Steventon". Walkamongflowers.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  4. ↑ "Inkpen ROW - Walks Overview - Walk 1". Inkpen-village.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  5. 1 2 3 Opening Times. "Inkpen Crocus Field | Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust". Bbowt.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  6. 1 2 3 Gardens to Visit. "A spectacular 200-year-old mystery". Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  7. 1 2 "Inkpen – 7th March 2009 « Reading & District Natural History Society". Rdnhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
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