Loynton Moss 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 ...

of the

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust The Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a wildlife trust covering the county of Staffordshire, England. Organisation and activities It is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts; each is a registered charity and is a member of the Royal Society of Wildlife ...

, near the village of Woodseaves, in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is adjacent to the

Shropshire Union Canal The Shropshire Union Canal, sometimes nicknamed the "Shroppie", is a navigable canal in England. It is the modern name for a part of the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company network. In the leisure age, two of the branches of that netwo ...

, as it runs from nearby

Norbury Norbury is an List of areas of London, town and suburb in south London. It shares the postcode London SW16 with neighbouring Streatham. The area is mainly in the borough of Croydon London Borough Council, Croydon, with some parts extending int ...

to High Offley.

Description

The area of the reserve is , and it is designated a

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 ...

. There are walking trails, except in the mostly inaccessible areas of reedbed and wet woodland. There are

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

es in the wetter areas during the summer, which may deter visitors."Loynton Moss"
''Staffordshire Wildlife Trust''. Retrieved 28 February 2021.

Geology

The particular landscape is a result of a process after the last ice age. A kettle hole was formed by dead ice left by retreating glaciers, which became a lake when the ice finally melted. The former lake is now an area of peaty, boggy land, known as a Moss.

Environments

There are dry wooded areas, where bluebells can be seen in the spring. Grassland, acquired by the Trust in 2000, is a large part of the reserve. It is former wetland, drained for agriculture in 1970. There are areas of reedbed, and wet woodland including an alder carr. Uncommon plants found here include marsh cinquefoil and cowbane. Moths, butterflies and many species of rare insects can be found in the wetland. Birds such as willow warbler and reed bunting are attracted by the particular insects in this habitat.

Birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

trees consume much water during the summer and can affect ground water levels of the wetland, so some have been felled in places. Ditches and land drains are monitored.

References

{{Reflist Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Staffordshire Borough of Stafford Nature reserves in Staffordshire Forests and woodlands of Staffordshire Wetlands of England Grasslands of the United Kingdom Alder carrs Kettle lakes in the United Kingdom Shropshire Union Canal