Blaxhall Common is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

in the parish of Blaxhall in the

East Suffolk District East Suffolk is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Suffolk, England. The largest town is Lowestoft, which contains Ness Point, the easternmost point of the United Kingdom. The second largest town is Felixstowe, which has t ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. The reserve is owned by Blaxhall Parish Council and managed by

Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) describes itself as the county's "nature charity – the only organisation dedicated wholly to safeguarding Suffolk's wildlife and countryside." It is a registered charity, and its headquarters is at Brooke House i ...

. It is designated a biological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

as Blaxhall Heath. It is part of the Sandlings

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and of the

Suffolk Coast and Heaths The Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Suffolk and Essex, England. The AONB covers ancient woodland, commercial forestry, the estuaries of the Alde, Blyth, Deben, Orwell and Stour ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...

. A

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

bowl barrow A bowl barrow is a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from its resemblance to an upturned bowl. Related terms include ''cairn circle'', ''cairn ring'', ''howe'', ''ker ...

is a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

Location

The site is located on the Suffolk Sandlings, an area of sandy soil and glacial geology stretching along the Suffolk coast from

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the North Sea, in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth, Suffolk, River Blyth in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths ...

.Suffolk's lovely sandlings
''Suffolk'', East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 2013-01-28 The traditional land cover was lowland dry

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

, but much of this landscape has been destroyed with isolated areas, such as at Blaxhall, surviving.Blaxhall Heath
, SSSI citation, Natural England. Retrieved 2013-01-28.Sandlings heaths and forests
, Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 2013-01-28. The site is bordered to three sides by the Sandlings Forest SSSI. Blaxhall Common is around east of Blaxhall and south-west of Snape on the B1069 road between Snape and Tunstall. It is south-west of

Leiston Leiston ( ) is a town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is close to Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, north-east of Ipswich and north-east of London. The town had a population of 5,508 at th ...

and north-east of Woodbridge. It falls on the edge of the

(AONB).

Plant and wildlife

The heath is mainly heathers with a mosaic of heather and acidic grassland habitats. The Silver-studded blue butterfly was reintroduced at the site in 2007.Suffolk Wildlife Trust's silver-studded blue butterfly
BBC news website, 2010-04-22. Retrieved 2013-01-28. Bird species present include

nightjar Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called bugeaters, their primary source of food ...

woodlark The woodlark or wood lark (''Lullula arborea'') is the only extant species in the lark genus ''Lullula''. It is found across most of Europe, the Middle East, western Asia and the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident (non-bird migrati ...

and

tree pipit The tree pipit (''Anthus trivialis'') is a small passerine bird that breeds throughout most of Europe and the Palearctic as far east as the East Siberian Mountains. It is a long-distance migrant, migrating in winter to Africa and southern Asia. ...

with reptiles such as the

common lizard The viviparous lizard or common lizard (''Zootoca vivipara'', formerly ''Lacerta vivipara'') is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other non-marine reptile species, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it give ...

and adder ''

Vipera berus ''Vipera berus'', also known as the common European adder Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. . and the common European viper, ...

'' established on the site. There are also colonies of

solitary bee Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * Solitary (album), ''Solitary'' (album), 2008 album by Don Dokken * Solitary (2020 film), ''Solitary'' (2020 film), a British sci-fi thriller film * Solitary (upcoming fi ...

s and ant-lions.Blaxhall Heath - Unit 1
/ref> The heath is managed through seasonal cutting of vegetation, especially invasive species, in order to maintain a variety of habitats.

Hebridean sheep The Hebridean is a breed of small black sheep from Scotland, similar to other members of the Northern European short-tailed sheep group, having a short, triangular tail. They often have two pairs of horn (anatomy), horns. They were formerly know ...

and Exmoor ponies have also been introduced at the site in order to assist management. A car park is maintained by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust to allow access to the reserve.

Archaeology

An ancient boundary bank forms the southern edge of the site and is well preserved and the northern area of the heath is the site of a

standing around tall. The barrow is a

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. The common includes a number of

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

sites as well as a wide

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

anti-glider ditch. This provides habitats for solitary bees and lizards.

References

{{reflist Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Suffolk

Location

Plant and wildlife

Archaeology

See also

References