About the reserve

Wide hedgerows enclose these secret meadows, where from April-June the fields burst into a carpet of purple and yellow, as the Green-winged Orchids and the Meadow Buttercups bloom. Also keep an eye out for the Adders-tongue Fern which is more numerous on this reserve than anywhere else in Essex. The abundance of flowers supports a number of grassland butterflies and the hedgerows provide nesting sites for birds such as the Lesser Whitethroat.

The reserve is managed using traditional methods of taking a late summer hay cut and then grazed with sheep, which has allowed the continued success of these Orchids and other hay meadow species.