Bixley Heath is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the eastern outskirts of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

. It is also a Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by

Ipswich Borough Council Ipswich Borough Council, founded in 1974 after the abolition of the County Borough of Ipswich, governs the non-metropolitan district of Ipswich in Suffolk. It is the second tier of a two-tier system, fulfilling functions such as refuse collectio ...

Location

The heath is split between the

and East Suffolk council areas. It is located adjacent to the Broke Hall Farm and

Purdis Farm Purdis Farm is a civil parish, in the East Suffolk district, in the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the eastern edge of Ipswich and includes areas of suburban housing and industrial development along the A1156, including the area of W ...

areas of Ipswich and to the west of Ipswich Golf Club on the edge of the urban area.Ipswich Wildlife and Education Rangers
, Ranger services, Ipswich Borough Council. Retrieved 2013-01-29.

Ecology

The site is part of the Suffolk Sandlings area and consists of lowland dry

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat (ecology), habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great B ...

and scarce swamp vegetation along a small valley to the southern edge of the site. The heathland area of the site is dominated by the heather ''

Calluna vulgaris ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wid ...

''. Other heathers and grass species, such as Common Bent-grass ''

Agrostis capillaris ''Agrostis capillaris'', the common bent, colonial bent, or browntop, is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family ( Poaceae). It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world. Colonial ben ...

'' are also present, with some

Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produ ...

and scrub tree species on the edges of the site. The swamp area of the site has Lesser Pond-sedge ''

Carex acutiformis ''Carex acutiformis'', the lesser pond-sedge, is a species of sedge. Description It grows up to tall, with leaves up to long and wide. Ecology It is native to parts of northern and western Europe, where it grows in moist spots in a number o ...

'' as the dominant plant species, with other species such as Great Reedmace ''

Typha latifolia ''Typha latifolia'' (broadleaf cattail, bulrush, common bulrush, common cattail, cat-o'-nine-tails, great reedmace, cooper's reed, cumbungi) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus ''Typha''. It is found as a native plant species in North an ...

'' and Great Willowherb ''

Epilobium hirsutum ''Epilobium hirsutum'' is a flowering plant belonging to the willowherb genus ''Epilobium'' in the family Onagraceae. It is commonly known as the great willowherb, great hairy willowherb or hairy willowherb. Local names include codlins-and-cream ...

'' found in the area. Sallow is found throughout the swamp area with some areas of open reed bed where Common Reed ''

Phragmites australis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

'' is found.

Access

There is access from Bucklesham Road and Salehurst Road.

References

{{Local Nature Reserves in Suffolk Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Suffolk Local Nature Reserves in Suffolk