Entrance to Fox Hagg nature reserve - geograph

Fox Hagg is a small () nature reserve in the

Rivelin Valley The River Rivelin is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It rises on the Hallam moors, in north west Sheffield, and joins the River Loxley (at Malin Bridge). The Rivelin Valley, through which the river flows, is a long woodland vall ...

area of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, England. The Allen Sike flows along the north edge of the reserve and the

River Rivelin The River Rivelin is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It rises on the Hallam moors, in north west Sheffield, and joins the River Loxley (at Malin Bridge). The Rivelin Valley, through which the river flows, is a long woodland vall ...

flows through the reserve from

Rivelin Dams Rivelin Dams are a pair of water storage reservoirs situated in the upper part of the Rivelin Valley, west of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. The dams are owned by Yorkshire Water and provide water to 319,000 peopleWyming Brook Nature Reserve borders Fox Hagg to the west. The site is managed by the

Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust is a registered charity and conservation organisation working across Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1985, the Trust manages nature reserves, campaigns for wildlife protectio ...

Geology

The geology of the steep rocky hillside comprises sediments of sandstone, gritstone, mudstone conglomerates and impermeable shales, all dating from the

Carboniferous period The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Permian Period, Ma. It is the fifth and penultimate perio ...

and indicative of a fluvial environment. Peat, formed in the

Quaternary period The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

, three million years ago, has been identified by the

British Geological Survey The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance Earth science, geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. ...

History

Permanent settlements were established during the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and

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 ...

with evidence of tree clearance indicating early agricultural exploitation of the land. During the

Medieval Period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

agriculture continued into the valley bottom, with the steeper slopes being reserved for grazing. Walls erected in the post Medieval Era indicate land enclosure at that time. The area was once managed as a holly hagg, where the soft spikeless upper leaves of holly were cut for winter fodder for sheep and cattle. The site is now managed to encourage wildlife and was designated as a local nature reserve in 2004.

Wildlife

Birds

Birds identified at the nature reserve include yellowhammer, lesser redpoll, common linnet, willow tit, bullfinch, song thrush, meadow and tree pipits and wood warbler, dunnock (''Prunella modularis''), and common cuckoo. The Eurasian blackcap (''Sylvia atricapilla''), common blackbird (''Turdus merulus''), and great tit (''Parus major'') are common at the reserve. Osprey (''Pandion haliaetus'') and lapwing (''Vanellus vanellus'') have been seen overflying the site. A number of species of high conservation concern, the song thrush and willow tit have been observed at the reserve.

Amphibians and reptiles

Common toad The common toad, European toad, or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the toad (''Bufo bufo'', from Latin ''bufo'' "toad"), is a toad found throughout most of Europe (with the exception of Ireland, Iceland, parts of Scandinavia, and some List ...

s and

viviparous 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 ...

s have been seen at the site.

Mammals

A small mammal survey, carried out in 2005, indicated that voles, field mice and pygmy shrew lived at the reserve. Grey squirrel are known to inhabit the site. Roe deer are known to visit the reserve.

Invertebrates

Two locally uncommon species of flies, ''Myopa buceata'' and ''Servillea ursine'', are found at the site. The dead wood beetles, ''Triplax aenea'' and ''Orchesia undulata'' have been recorded at the nature reserve. The heather beetle (''Lochmaea suturalis'') is common. The moth, ''Coleophora vitisella'', has been found at the site. The hoverfly, ''Cheilosia albipila'' and the orange tip butterfly (''Anthocharis cardamines''), favour the marshy conditions found at wetland locations within the reserve.

Flora

Invasive species

Himalayan balsam (''

Impatiens glandulifera ''Impatiens glandulifera'', Himalayan balsam, is a large annual plant native to the Himalayas. Via human introduction it is now present across much of the Northern Hemisphere and is considered an invasive species in many areas. Uprooting or cutt ...

''), an invasive species is controlled by strimming and hand pulling. In the past Asulox, a fern-specific herbicide, has been used on the site to reduce the amount of bracken at the reserve. Work to thin the wooded areas of the site have been funded by the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respons ...

, as has the installation post and rail fence at the Lodge Lane car park.

Broad-leaved woodland

The site has mixture of habitats, including broad-leaved woodland, which is dominated by oak, birch and rowan. Alder and willow are found in wetland areas of the reserve.

Heathland

There are of heathland at the nature reserve. This is dominated by bilberry, with areas of bracken, bramble and wavy hair-grass.

Facilities

The nature reserve is crossed by a number of public rights of way, including both footpaths and bridleways. The reserve has parking for five vehicles at the Lodge Lane entrance to the site. Additional parking is available at the Rivelin Dams to the north west of the reserve. The condition of the site is monitored by Sheffield City Council as part of their Sheffield Local Biodiversity Action Plan.

Artistic representation

The hillside at Fox Hagg, just below Lodge Moor, was painted in 1941 by Lionel Maurice de Sausmarez ARA. W. E. Smith depicted the valley from a vantage point at Bell Hagg, overlooking the reserve, .

References

{{Coord, 53.375, -1.578, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Geography of Sheffield Nature reserves in South Yorkshire