Roundhill SSSI  

Roundhill is a complex of three south-facing fields on the upper slopes of Bredon Hill extending over 20 acres (8.1 ha). The centre field is particularly species-rich and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its limestone flora.  It supports an abundance of attractive flowers, including pyramidal orchid, fairy flax, quaking grass, rock-rose and mouse-ear hawkweed. The grassland attracts a large number and variety of butterflies, including meadow brown, marbled white, ringlet, gatekeeper, common blue and brown argus. All three fields are managed as ‘pasture’ and are grazed at a low density by cattle during the late spring and summer.  No fertilizers or pesticides are used, and roguing – the control of weeds by hand – is sometimes necessary.  During the Trust’s eighteen year management there has been a noticeable improvement of the flora in the two outer fields – one of its key aims.

Woolly Thistle - found on calcareous grassland

The Trust manages two blocks of Lammas meadow on the banks of the Avon – parts of Twyning Ham and Brookfield Meadows.  Together they total around 37 acres (15 ha) of grassland which floods regularly during the year.  This constitutes 1% of all the flood meadow surviving in the UK

The meadows are dominated by the plant community, defined as MG4 in the National Vegetation Classification, and characterized by the presence of greater burnet.  They are managed traditionally, being cut for hay in July, and grazed communally after Lammas Day. Work has been carried out at Brookfield Meadows to improve the habitat by blocking land drains and raising the water table.

The flood meadows support important breeding populations of wading birds such as redshank, oystercatcher and curlew, as well as the BAP priority species, corn bunting. They are home to rare plants including fine-leaved water dropwort and mouse-tail.

Twyning Ham in flood, viewed WNW from Bredon. The usual
extent of the Avon being marked by tufts of grass on the right

‘Hay meadows’ are a subdivision of the BAP priority habitat ‘lowland meadows’, and are characterized by a diverse and colourful flora.  In early summer they are carpeted with bulbous buttercup, meadow buttercup and creeping buttercup, interspersed with typical meadow plants including quaking grass, hairy sedge, lady’s bedstraw, yellow rattle, and adder’s-tongue fern.  Lowland meadows are an important habitat for skylark, a BAP priority species, and a number of other farmland birds.

Long Meadow 

Long Meadow in Kinsham is a species-rich old hay meadow.  In 1987 traditional management was re-introduced to the meadow after a period of decline.  The hay is cut in July – later than usual in modern farming – allowing flowers to set seed. The aftermath is grazed by sheep.  This regime has brought about a significant improvement in plant biodiversity, thanks in part to the spread of yellow rattle, a plant which parasitizes and suppresses more dominant grass species. 

The Sling

It is hoped that similar progress will be achieved at another species-rich hay meadow in Kinsham, The Sling, which has come under Trust management more recently. This meadow is located between the Carrant Brook and Squitter Brook, and contains greater burnet in some of its wet-lying areas.

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Typical grassland flora
 

The cows and their calves spend the summer months out at grass.  They are bulled during July and August.  Each November when the grass has stopped growing they are brought in to over-winter inside. At this time the calves are weaned and the cows dried off. All male calves are kept entire and are put onto a diet of rolled barley and beans. These are sold direct to an abattoir when they reach a weight of 600 kg at about 12 months of age. Heifer calves are sold the following spring as ‘stores’, or are kept as herd replacements. The cows calve in the spring and once they have mothered up, they are put out to pasture and the cycle begins again.