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Vale of White Horse Parishes

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Cherwell

South Oxfordshire

Vale of White Horse

West Oxfordshire

Districts - Landscape Types

Besselsleigh

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.

Besselsleigh 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

Rolling Farmland

Site Code: 49U04

Area: 43.5ha

Cothill Fen SSSI

There is a concentration of fens along the Sandford Brook and this site encompasses a number of these and includes the largest areas of fen habitat in Oxfordshire. In addition there are areas of wet woodland and drier ancient broadleaved woodland which has been continuously wooded for at least 400 years. There are also areas of limestone grassland in the north of the site at Lashford Lane Fen, which is a nature reserve managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, and at the edge of the fen further south. All these habitats are national priorities for nature conservation.

The fens are dominated by uncommon rushes and sedges and support a wealth of fen wildflowers including bogbean, marsh orchids, the carnivorous sundew and marsh pennywort. There are also areas of taller wetland fen vegetation with reeds and meadowsweet. The wet woodland is dominated by alder and has a mixture of wetland and woodland wildflowers. In the drier woodland there is more ash and oak and there are carpets of bluebells and dog’s mercury on the ground. The site is very important for invertebrates with over 25 rare species recorded here. Great crested newts, which are a national priority for nature conservation and protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, are also found at Cothill Fen.