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destroy the original flora and its
associated fauna and, of course, the
meadow is then lost for ever. Occasionally
you can find evidence of an old meadow,
perhaps in a corner of a field where the
tractor and plough can't reach: I remember
finding just such a small triangle of
ancient grassland in a wheat field near
Tring in Hertfordshire. The most noticeable
plants here were cowslips, a sure indicator
of old grassland.
Other threats have come from the expanding
urban fringe of many of our cities. The
meadows are simply drained and built on.
Neglect, lack of traditional management and
the application of artificial fertilisers
and selective herbicides are other factors
that have contributed to the decline of
this valuable habitat in Britain.
The Roding Valley reserve itself consists of
about 110 acres of land bordering the River
Roding. Most of the meadows in this area
will have been in existence virtually unalt-
ered probably for many hundreds of years, the
legacy of an ancient and conservative system
of management. The stable management history,
the flood meadows being grazed and the higher
and therefore drier meadows being cut for hay,
has allowed a rich and characteristic flora
to develop and with it a distinctive fauna.
Biological recording in the valley over the
last seven years has revealed the presence
of some 250 species of flowering plants.
The individual meadows often have very rich
floras - 40-50 species is not uncommon in
the Roding Valley. Many of the plants
noted are characteristic of ancient grass-