About the reserve

Durham Wildlife Trust’s smallest nature reserve with a range of fen vegetation types not found at any other site in County Durham including basic flush fen meadow, reedbed and willow carr.

The fen meadow is dominated by blunt-flowered rush with a carpet of mosses but grades into open flushes with a varied flora including marsh valerian, early marsh orchid, marsh arrow grass, butterwort and marsh lousewort. Tall fen is more extensive that the fen meadow and is dominated by common reed and great willow herb although other wetland plants such as meadow sweet, common valerian and marsh horsetail occur. On the periphery, meadow rue, rare in County Durham, has been recorded. The willow carr, is dominated by crack willow.