A beautiful Sunday morning at the end of July found us wandering around this Surrey Wildlife Trust site. Disappointingly, there were not many dragonflies to be seen, but we enjoyed exploring this rich SSSI and will be a place to return to.
Named after the God Thor, Thundry Meadows is a picturesque stretch of land running alongside the River Wey, which forms the southern boundary. A site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), it consists of unimproved wet and dry meadows on Folkestone Beds (Lower Greensand series), alder carr, farmland and ditches. It hosts several rare plants and sedges and is one of the few remaining wet meadow complexes left in the county.
The variety of alluvial soils enhanced by moisture from the river and spring waters and riverbank, support a rich vegetation. Over 100 plant species have been recorded including bog bean, climbing corydalis, Dyer’s greenweed, golden saxifrage, heath spotted orchid, lady’s smock, marsh cinquefoil, 14 species of sedge and southern marsh orchid.
The riverside vegetation includes amphibious bistort, dame’s violet and musk (monkey flower).
The ditches attract dragonflies – over 24 species have been seen – and damselflies and a number of butterflies.
The small alder carr is rich in mosses. Through the wood is a small area of heathland noted for many wetland plants, it has 18 species of sedge and 24 species of dragonfly. Five species of bat have been recorded here.
(http://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/reserves/show/72 accessed 31/7/2011)
A beautiful Sunday morning at the end of July found us wandering around this Surrey Wildlife Trust site. Disappointingly, there were not many dragonflies to be seen, but we enjoyed exploring this rich SSSI and will be a place to return to.
Named after the God Thor, Thundry Meadows is a picturesque stretch of land running alongside the River Wey, which forms the southern boundary. A site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), it consists of unimproved wet and dry meadows on Folkestone Beds (Lower Greensand series), alder carr, farmland and ditches. It hosts several rare plants and sedges and is one of the few remaining wet meadow complexes left in the county.
The variety of alluvial soils enhanced by moisture from the river and spring waters and riverbank, support a rich vegetation. Over 100 plant species have been recorded including bog bean, climbing corydalis, Dyer’s greenweed, golden saxifrage, heath spotted orchid, lady’s smock, marsh cinquefoil, 14 species of sedge and southern marsh orchid.
The riverside vegetation includes amphibious bistort, dame’s violet and musk (monkey flower).
The ditches attract dragonflies – over 24 species have been seen – and damselflies and a number of butterflies.
The small alder carr is rich in mosses. Through the wood is a small area of heathland noted for many wetland plants, it has 18 species of sedge and 24 species of dragonfly. Five species of bat have been recorded here.
(http://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/reserves/show/72 accessed 31/7/2011)
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