Parsonage Moor
Parsonage Moor is a limestone fenland in Berkshire, just to the northwest of Cothill. It is also known as the Ruskin Reserve.
The moor is an area of fen fed by several springs and rich in botanical gems, moths and dragonflies. Though modest in size, it is particularly rich in plants.
The reserve is carefully managed fen and regognised as a nationally rare habitat. A small part of the moor, still labelled "Ruskin Reserve", belongs to the National Trust.
Plants
Parsonage Moor is particularly rich in plants for its modest size: more than 300 different species have been recorded here.[1] The tussocky landscape includes an abundance of black bog-rush and blunt-flowered rush and many uncommon fenland mosses. Other wetland habitats are large areas of reedbed, open water, wet woodland and ancient woodland, made up of alders and willows. There is also an area of ancient woodland.
Extensive areas of peat, fed by limey water, have resulted in a mixture of soils and plants. Unusually, there are both 'lime-loving' and 'lime-hating' plants here. Many orchids can be seen including southern marsh-orchid and the nationally-scarce narrow-leaved marsh orchid, all lime-loving flowers. Many small sedges can be found here, including long-stalked yellow-sedge.
Some intriguing insectivorous species are found in the reserve, amongst the lime-hating plants. Butterwort, the most common, has violet-like flowers and traps insects on its sticky, yellow-green leaves. Bladderwort traps insects underwater.
Grass-of-parnassus is a striking plant found in the reserve. A graceful plant, it produces large white flowers on a single stem in August and September.
Birds and insects
This site is rich in bird and insect species. Amongst the latter are the scarlet tiger moth, dragonflies and damselflies, including the nationally-rare southern damselfly.
History
In May 1912, the banker and expert naturalist, Charles Rothschild founded the Society for Promotion of Nature Reserves – the organisation that would become the Wildlife Trusts. His vision was to identify and protect the best places for wildlife, and these became known as Rothschild Reserves.
One of the first of these reserves was Parsonage Moor, known at the time as the Ruskin Reserve. It was bought for the Society by Henry Willett, through the mediation of George Claridge Druce.[2]
Location
The moor is in the north of Berkshire, to the west of Cothill, between the village and the A336.