Magor Marsh is a wetland reserve, located on the Welsh side of the Severn Estuary. It is managed by the Gwent Wildlife Trust. It has a great variety of habitats, including damp meadow, hay meadows, sedge fen, reed bed, scrubland, scrub and wet woodland. There are also numerous reens and a large pond. Magor Marsh Nature Reserve is the richest site in Wales for wetland beetles and soldier-flies, and its pattern of drainage ditches and other features have remained unchanged since the 14th century. The nature reserve can be explored in Virtual reality, Virtual Reality through the Gwent Wildlife Trust’
Digital Nature Reserves
project. Digital guides can also be found at the reserve via QR codes which enable visitors to learn about the site and its wildlife during their visit. Click here to access the VR Experience i
Welsh
an
English
as well as th
Digital Guide
web app. Magor Marsh can also be seen 24/7 via live camera streaming on Gwent Wildlife Trust’
website
Stills are refreshed every five minutes. In March 2020 the reserve was featured in the BBC One programme ''Countryfile''.

Geology

The soil of Magor Marsh is mostly peat with a depth of around . Beneath this is alluvium laid down by the Severn Estuary. The level of water must be kept near the surface to preserve the peat.

Wildlife

Flora

There are two meadow, hay meadows in Magor Marsh, maintained using traditional methods. The meadows are grazed during autumn and winter. The hay crop is mown in mid-summer to provide winter feed. By late spring the fields are a mass of flowers. In the meadows are such species as Cardamine pratensis, lady's smock, Lychnis flos-cuculi, ragged robin, Iris pseudacorus, yellow flag, Ranunculus flammula, lesser spearwort and Cirsium dissectum, meadow thistle. The common species in the reeds are Dipsacus, teasel, Phragmites, common reed, Eupatorium cannabinum, hemp agrimony and Lythrum salicaria, purple loosestrife. In the reen grow Equisetum fluviatile, water horsetail, Typha, reedmace, Caltha palustris, marsh marigold and azure damselfly. Salix viminalis, Osier, Salix × fragilis, crack willow and Willow, sallow are typical tree species in the wet woodland.

Fauna

Magor Marsh includes breeding grounds for common redshank and common snipe. Acrocephalus (bird), Reed warbler, grasshopper warbler, cetti's warbler, Common reed bunting, reed bunting and Common chiffchaff, chiffchaff also live in the reeds. In the pond are water rail, coot, grey heron, little grebe, moorhen, little egret, Eurasian teal, shoveler and kingfisher. In the reen the most common species are grass snake, Hydrophilus piceus, great silver beetle, smooth newt and otter. The wet woodland typical has such species as great spotted woodpecker and musk beetle. Cuckoo can be heard in the summer. Salix viminalis, Osier, crack willow and Willow, sallow are typical species in the wet woodland. In the meadows the common butterflies are Anthocharis cardamines, orange tip and meadow brown. The reens provide a habitat for azure damselfly. In 2019 Leaf miner, leaf mines and a larva of the marbled marble (''Celypha woodiana'') was found on mistletoe (''Viscum album''), this United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan, Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) species has a limited distribution in Britain and the 2019 record was the first confirmed for Wales. The European water vole can be found within the reserve.

Gallery

File:Magor Marsh Nature Reserve (Gwent Wildlife Trust) by Roger Davies.jpg, Information board at Magor Marsh Nature Reserve File:Magor Marsh Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 97310.jpg, Swans on Christmas Day, 2005 File:Magor Marsh SSSI and Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 807088.jpg, Looking south along a drainage ditch, towards the River Severn File:Magor Marsh - geograph.org.uk - 807090.jpg, Meadow at Magor Marsh Stickleback sculptures

References

{{reflist, refs= {{Cite web , title=Magor Marsh , publisher=Living Levels Partnership , url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a1d5fb38a02c70db7c34f81/t/5e711959d98ddb7a3c07a459/1584470368605/GLL006-MagorMarsh-3-FINAL_Web.pdf , date=March 2020 , accessdate=20 March 2020 Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Monmouthshire Marshes of Wales Nature reserves in Monmouthshire Protected areas established in 1963 Wetlands of Monmouthshire