Districts:

Cherwell Parishes

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Districts - Parishes

Cherwell

South Oxfordshire

Vale of White Horse

West Oxfordshire

Districts - Landscape Types

Blackthorn

This map highlights the landscape types within the parish you selected, and its associated local character areas. You can click on any area of the map for a description of its landscape character and biodiversity. Please note that local character areas can cover large areas of the countryside, and may include several parishes, so the description may not be specific to this parish. If there are any wildlife habitats within the parish their descriptions can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this page.

Blackthorn Image Map

The following wildlife habitats fall within this parish. They are listed according to their associated landscape type or local character area.

If you want more information about any of the sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) listed below, take a look at English Nature's Nature on the Map website. It may also be possible to find out a bit more about the unnamed wildlife habitats in the parish by contacting the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (owls@oxfordshire.gov.uk) and quoting the site code next to the habitat description.

The majority of these wildlife habitats are on private land and access to them is not possible without permission of the landowner, unless there is a statutory right of way. However, many wildlife habitats in the county are open to the public. More information on these can be obtained from the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum.

Wildlife Habitats

Clay Vale

Site Code: 62A02

Area: 3ha

This hay meadow has escaped agricultural improvement through the use of herbicides and fertilizers or through ploughing and reseeding. Consequently it is rich in wildflowers. The field is quite wet and has ridge and furrows which are a sign of medieval ploughing but also a sign of a long period without disturbance. Ridge and furrow is an important historical landscape feature. Meadows such as this are a national priority for nature conservation.

Wildflowers found here include an abundance of yellow rattle, common spotted orchid, oxeye daisy and knapweed. In the wetter areas there are many sedges and rushes and wetland wildflowers such as marsh bedstraw and tubular water-dropwort.