Suffolk Wildlife Trust


Suffolk Wildlife Trust 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 in Ashbocking, near Ipswich. It was founded in 1961, and is one of 46 wildlife trusts covering the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As of March 2017, it has 13,200 members, and it manages of land in 60 nature reserves, most of which are open to the public. It had an income of £3.9 million in the year to 31 March 2017.
Suffolk is a county in East Anglia. It is bounded by Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west, Essex to the south and the North Sea to the east. With an area of, it is the eighth largest county in England, and in mid-2016 the population was 745,000. The top level of local government is Suffolk County Council, and below it are seven borough and district councils: Babergh, Forest Heath, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk, St Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal and Waveney. Much of the coast consists of the estuaries of the Orwell, Stour, Alde, Deben and Blyth rivers, with large areas of wetlands and marshes. Agriculture and shipping play a major role in the county's economy.
The whole or part of nine SWT reserves are Ramsar internationally important wetland sites, thirty-one are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, four are National Nature Reserves, ten are Special Protection Areas, ten are Special Areas of Conservation, seven are Nature Conservation Review sites, one contains a Scheduled Monument and three are Local Nature Reserves. One SWT reserve is in Dedham Vale, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and seven are in another AONB, Suffolk Coast and Heaths.

Key

Public access

SitePhotographAreaLocationPublic
access		DesignationsDescription
Alde MudflatsAldeburgh

NONCR, Ramsar, SAC, SCHAONB, SPA, SSSIThis stretch of inter-tidal mud and saltmarsh supports internationally important numbers of avocets, and other birds include black-tailed godwits, oystercatchers, marsh harriers, pintails, wigeons and grey plovers.
Arger Fen and Spouse's ValeSudbury

YESDVAONB, LNR, SSSIThis site has ancient and young woodland, and areas of fen meadow. There is a large population of badgers, and uncommon fauna include hazel dormice and barbastelle bats. There are butterflies such as speckled woods, meadow browns and holly blues.
Black Bourn ValleyBury St Edmunds

YESThe River Black Bourn runs through this large nature reserve, which has many bird species, such as barn owls, yellowhammers, linnets, reed buntings and skylarks. Plants in wet meadows include marsh orchids and marsh marigolds.
Blaxhall CommonWoodbridge

YESSCHAONB, SM, SPA, SSSIThis dry lowland heath has large areas of heather which supports diverse lichens and mosses, and other areas of grassland which are grazed by rabbits. Heathland birds include nightjars and tree pipits.
Bonny WoodIpswich

YESSSSIOrchids in this coppiced wood include early-purples, lesser twayblades, common spotteds and greater butterflies. There are many birds, badgers and deer.
Bradfield WoodsBury St Edmunds

YESNNR, SSSIThese woods have a history of coppicing dating to before 1252, producing a very high diversity of flora, with over 370 plant species recorded. Uncommon woodland flowers include oxlip, herb paris and ramson. There is also a rich variety of fungi, with two species not recorded elsewhere in Britain.
Bromeswell GreenWoodbridge

YESThis site has woodland, saltmarsh and wet meadows. Wetland plants include lesser spearwort, fen bedstraw and southern marsh orchid, the woodland has birds such as nightingales and whitethroats, and rides have many species of butterfly.
Brooke HouseNot
available		Ipswich

YESBrooke House is the headquarters of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It was left to the trust by Mary Brooke. It has gardens with fruit trees and a pond, where water voles have been observed.
Bull's WoodBury St Edmunds

YESSSSIFlora in this wood include early-purple orchids, herb-paris and the uncommon oxlips. There are roe deer, marsh tits, and butterflies such as gatekeepers, speckled woods and orange tips.
Captain's WoodSudbourne

YESThis site has woodland, rough grassland and scrub. A herd of fallow deer helps to keep the land open, and there are also barn owls, buzzards, mature oak trees and many bluebells.
Carlton and Oulton MarshesLowestoft

PPRamsar, SAC, SPA, SSSISemi-aquatic fen raft spiders were released on the site in 2012 to boost the low British population, and underwater insectiverous bladderworts trap water fleas. Birds of prey include marsh harriers, barn owls and hobbies, and there are many wintering wildfowl and breeding waders.
Castle MarshesBeccles

NORamsar, SAC, SPA, SSSIThe site has fen, freshwater dykes and grazing marshes. Resident wildfowl include wigeons, gadwalls, teals and shovelers are joined in winter by migrants when the marshes are flooded. Scarce chaser and the nationally rare Norfolk hawker dragonflies breed on the site, and there are blue-tailed damselflies.
Church Farm Marshesalt=Church Farm MarshesHalesworth

YESThis site has areas of marshland, wet and dry woodland, and grassland. The flower-rich marshes have southern [marsh orchid, marsh marigold and ragged robin. Grazing maintains diversity of flora in the meadows and marshes, ensuring a good population of insects, which provide food for birds.
Combs WoodStowmarket

YESSSSIThis is ancient coppice woodland on boulder clay, with variable quantities of sand and loess re-esulting in different soil types. In areas of pedunculate oak and hornbeam the ground flora is sparse, but it is rich and diverse in ash and maple woodland. Grassy rides and a pond provide additional habitats for invertebrates.
Cornard MereSudbury

YESSSSIThis site has diverse habitats, with fen which is seasonally flooded, ruderal herb vegetation, woodland, grassland and scrub. Flora include water mint, gypsywort, skullcap, ragged robin and southern marsh orchid.
Darsham MarshesHalesworth

YESThis marsh and fen site has two ponds and a network of dykes. The wildlife is diverse and flowering plants include ragged-robin, yellow flag, marsh marigold and southern marsh orchid. There are birds such as marsh harriers and hen harriers, and mammals include otters and water voles.
Dingle MarshesDunwich

YESNCR, NNR Ramsar, SAC, SCHAONB, SPA, SSSIThis site has the largest freshwater reedbeds in Britain. Other habitats are brackish pools, shingle, heath and woodland. There are otters and Exmoor ponies, and birds include bearded tits, bitterns, marsh harriers and grey plovers.
Dunwich ForestDunwich

YESThe Trust is transforming this former conifer plantation into a mosaic of broad leaved woodland, lowland heath, acid grassland and wet woodland. Fauna include siskins, adders, noctule bats, red deer and white admiral butterflies.
Fox Fritillary MeadowStowmarket

NOSSSIThis unimproved meadow is located on heavy alluvial soils at the bottom of a valley. It has a rich variety of flora, including the herbs cowslip, cuckooflower and ragged robin, together with the largest population in East Anglia of the rare snake's head fritillary.
Foxburrow FarmWoodbridge

YESPart of this site is a working farm which is managed by a tenant farmer, and it also has wildlife habitats and an education centre. Birds include little owls, spotted flycatchers and pied wagtails, and there are ponds with great crested newts.
Framlingham MereFramlingham

YESThis site has a lake and wet meadows adjoining Framlingham Castle. There are many migrating birds, and flora include marsh marigolds, ragged-robin and lady's smock.
Groton WoodHadleigh

YESSSSIFifteen species of butterfly have been recorded in this wood, including brimstones, speckled woods and purple hairstreaks. There are many wild cherry trees, and twenty-two seasonal ponds, which have scarce and protected great crested newts.
Gunton MeadowLowestoft

YESGunton Meadow was saved from development as a planning condition for the expansion of a local supermarket. It has scrub, a pond and grassland. There are five species of orchid including the common spotted and green-winged, and great crested newts in the pond.
Gunton WarrenLowestoft

YESLNRGunton Warren is a coastal site which has sand dunes, shingle, lowland heath and cliff slopes. Birds include rare migrants such as icterines and yellow-browed warblers.
Hazlewood MarshesAldeburgh

YESSSSIThis was formerly a fresh water lagoon and marshes, but on 5 December 2013 a tidal surge broke through the sea wall and flooded the site with sea water. Whole communities of plants and invertebrates disappeared, and the site is converting to salt marsh, with birds including black-tailed godwits, dunlins, redshanks, lapwings and avocets.
Hen ReedbedsSouthwold

YESNNR, Ramsar, SCHAONB, SSSIThe reserve is a mix of wetland habitats, including reedbeds, fens, dykes and pools. It was designed to provide a breeding site for bitterns. Other fauna include marsh harriers, herons, bearded tits, four-spotted chaser dragonflies, hairy dragonflies, otters and water voles.
Hopton FenDiss

YESSSSIThis reed-dominated fen has diverse flora, including devil's bit scabious, black bog-rush, bogbean and early marsh orchid. The Trust is improving the site by excavating new pools, and introducing grazing to restore the open landscape.
Hutchison's MeadowWoodbridge

NOThis is mixture of wet and dry grassland. It has diverse flowering plants such as southern marsh orchid, common fleabane and ragged robin in wet areas, and yellow rattle and bulbous buttercup in drier ones.
Knettishall HeathDiss

YESSSSIThe site is heath and grassland, mainly on acidic soils, with areas of secondary woodland and wet hollows. There are heathland plants such as sheep's sorrel, tormentil, harebell and heath bedstraw, while wet areas have fen vegetation including water mint and yellow iris.
Lackford LakesBury St Edmunds

YESSSSIThe lakes are disused sand and gravel pits in the valley of the River Lark. There are diverse dragonfly species, and many breeding and overwintering birds, including nationally important numbers of gadwalls and shovellers. Skylarks breed on dry grassland, and lapwings in marshy meadows.
Levington LagoonIpswich

NOThis area of open water and saltmarsh on the bank of the River Orwell was formed when the sea wall was breached during the North Sea flood of 1953. The birds are diverse, including greenshanks, dunlins, spotted redshanks, pipits and dunlins. There are plants such as sea lavender.
Lound LakesGreat Yarmouth

YESHabitats in this site include open water, woodland, grassland, rush pasture and fen meadow. More than 140 bird species have been recorded there, including hobbies, geese, ducks, reed warblers, gadwalls and oystercatchers. Brown long-eared and noctule bats are also present.
Market Weston FenDiss

YESSAC, SSSIThis spring-fed valley fen has a high and stable water table, and as a result it has a rich and varied flora. The dominant plants in the central fen area are saw sedge, the reed Phragmites australis and blunt-flowered rush. Other habitats include tall fen grassland, heath and a stream. There are many dragonflies and damselflies.
Martins' MeadowsWoodbridge

YESNCR, SSSIThis site has rich flora, and it is described by Natural England as probably the best example in the county of unimproved calcareous clay and neutral grassland. The herb species are especially diverse, including meadow saffron and green-winged orchid, and there are ancient fruit trees.
Mellis CommonEye

YESThe common has changed little over hundreds of years, and is still managed by traditional methods of grazing and hay cutting. Flora include green-winged orchid, sulphur clover and adder's tongue fern, and owls hunt small mammals.
Mickfield MeadowStowmarket

YESSSSIFertilisers and herbicides have never been used on this meadow, and as a result it has a rich variety of flora, including fritillary. The dominant grasses are meadow foxtail, cocksfoot, false oat-grass, timothy and Yorkshire fog.
Mickle MereBury St Edmunds

YESThis area of open water and wet meadows has diverse bird life such as lapwings, kestrels, little egrets and reed buntings, and mammals include water voles and otters.
Newbourne SpringsWoodbridge

YESSSSIMost of this site is a narrow valley with a fast-flowing stream with alder carr and fen. Drier and more acidic soils have grassland, woodland, scrub and bracken heath. The site is actively managed, producing diverse flora and many breeding and migratory birds such as treecreepers, nuthatches and sedge warblers.
Norah Hanbury-Kelk MeadowsBury St Edmunds

YESThese wet meadows and dykes have diverse flora, such as southern marsh orchids, lady's smock, early marsh orchid and greater bird's foot trefoil. Birds include snipe and ducks.
North CoveBeccles

YESRamsar, SAC, SPA, SSSIThe site has wet woodland, grazing marsh, ponds and dykes. There are birds such as sparrowhawks, woodcocks, redpolls, siskins and the three species of woodpecker. Flora include opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage, bog pimpernel and the nationally scarce marsh fern.
Old BroomBury St Edmunds

NOThis is a remnant of an ancient wood-pasture landscape with oak pollards between 250 and 500 years old. The dead wood and hollow centres of these trees provide a habitat for fungi and invertebrates, while the bark hosts mosses and lichens.
Papermill ReedbedIpswich

YESThe SWT has restored this area of dry grassland of low ecological value by installing water control measures to create wetland. Several species of dragonfly and damselfly have colonised the water-filled ditches, and they are used by water voles and otters.
Redgrave and Lopham FensDiss

YESNCR, NNR, Ramsar, SAC SSSIThis spring-fed valley at the head of the River Waveney has several different types of fen vegetation. There are aquatic plants such as bladderwort, fen pondweed and Charophytes, all of which are indicators of low levels of pollution. The site has the only British population of fen raft spiders.
Reydon WoodSouthwold

YESThis conifer wood has many old ash and hornbeam stools. There are many wildflowers and birds, and butterflies such as ringlet, gatekeeper and orange tip.
Roydon FenDiss

YESLNRThis site was taken over by wet woodland in the twentieth century, but the SWT has restored the eastern end to fen by mowing, and it has many typical fen plants such as marsh helleborine, marsh fragrant orchid and sawsedge.
Simpson's SaltingsWoodbridge

NONCR, Ramsar, SAC, SCHAONB, SPA, SSSIThe Saltings are described by the Trust as "one of the county's most important coastal sites for its wealth of uncommon coastal and saltmarsh plants." There are also rare lichens. Habitats include intertidal mud, estuary creeks, saltmarsh, compacted sand and shingle.
Sizewell BeltsLeiston

YESSCHAONB, SSSIThese unimproved wet meadows are described by Natural England as important for their outstanding assemblages of invertebrates, with many nationally rare and scarce species, and of national significance for its assemblage of breeding birds typical of wet grassland. The aquatic fauna is diverse, including the nationally scarce soft hornwort and fen pondweed.
Snape MarshesSaxmundham

FPThe diverse habitats in this reserve include reed-filled marshes, dry heath and mature oak woodland. It has all four reptiles found in the county, adders, common lizards, grass snakes and slowworms. Birds include barn owls, hobbies and marsh harriers, and freshwater dykes provide a habitat for otters.
Sutton and Hollesley CommonsWoodbridge

YESSCHAONB, SPA, SSSIThese remnants of the Sandlings Heaths consist of dry grass and heather heathland, together with areas of bracken, scrub and pine and birch woodland. Breeding birds include long-eared owls, and hen harriers roost there in the winter.
Thelnetham FenDiss

YESNCR, SAC SSSIThis wet fen site has many wild flowers, including saw sedge, black bog rush and the rare grass-of-parnassus. Other habitats include wet woodland and reed beds along the bank of the River Little Ouse. The reed beds provide nesting sites for migrant birds such as sedge, grasshopper and reed warblers.
Trimley MarshesFelixstowe

YESRamsar, SCHAONB, SPA, SSSIThis site has a reservoir, islands, reedbeds and marshes. It has a rich variety and number of birds, such as redshankss, avocets, oystercatchers, little grebes and gadwalls.
Wangford WarrenBrandon

PLNCR, SAC, SPA, SSSIThis dry site has sand dunes and mounds which are stabilised by sand sedge and grasses. It is one of only two inland sites in Britain which has grey hair-grass, and other rare plants include shepherd's cress, bearded fescue and reindeer moss. Uncommon solitary bees and wasps burrow into sand.
Winks MeadowStowmarket

YESSSSIThis meadow on a disused airfield is unimproved grassland, with a rich variety of flora on chalky boulder clay. There are many green-winged orchids, cowslips and pepper saxifrages. The meadow is grazed by cattle or cut for hay to maintain the diversity of the wild flowers.