Old River Severn, Upper Lode

Old River Severn, Upper Lode
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Greater dodder on nettle
Location within Gloucestershire
Area of Search	Gloucestershire
Grid reference	SO880331
Coordinates	51°59′48″N 2°10′32″W / 51.996664°N 2.175462°W / 51.996664; -2.175462Coordinates: 51°59′48″N 2°10′32″W / 51.996664°N 2.175462°W / 51.996664; -2.175462
Interest	Biological
Area	3.72 hectare
Notification	1985
Natural England website

Old River Severn, Upper Lode (grid reference SO880331) is a 3.72-hectare (9.2-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1985. It is a cross county border site between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and Worcestershire.^[1]^[2]

It is on the west side of the Severn to Severn Ham, Tewkesbury SSSI.

Location

The Severn at this site is an old meander which was cut off from the main flow of the river when Upper Lode lock was built. It is a relatively quiet backwater which joins the Severn at the south end.^[1]

Habitat and flora

The meander now supports a diverse range of habitats as a result of the seclusion. These in turn support a variety of plant life and there are at least six nationally rare species. The channel has silted up at the furthest part from the main river. Where spoil has been dumped historically in the channel the area has become rough grassland.^[1]

Habitats are open water, marginal mud, inland saltmarsh, willow carr, neutral grassland, scrub and woodland. The main river controls the level of the water which fluctuates as the Severn is a tidal river.^[1]

Aquartic plants supported are pondweed, flowering rush, water forget-me-not, water-cress and water dock. There is white willow, crack willow and osier. In the area of rough grassland the nationally rare swamp meadow grass may be found. Woodland trees include alder and ash as well as willow.^[1]

Nationally rare species supported include greater dodder which parasitises nettle. There is also tastless water-pepper, small water pepper, mudwort and needle spike rush. This is the only known site in Gloucestershire for small water pepper, mudwort and needle spike rush. Narrow-leaved water plantain, keeled barlic (Allium carinatus), glaucous bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) and sea club rush (Scirpus maritimus) are also recorded.^[1]

Fauna

Birds include mallard, coot, red warbler and sedge warbler. Kingfisher are present and waders are reported such as redshank, common sandpiper and lapwing. Dragonflies are present including the relatively scarce hawker and white-legged damselfly.^[1]

References

SSSI Source

External links

Natural England (SSSI information)

Upper Lode Lock and Weir on the Severn
Footbridge at Upper Lode
Weir on the River Severn at Upper Lode
Bank protection at Upper Lode

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire

Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Ashleworth Ham Astridge Wood Badgeworth Barnsley Warren Barton Bushes Bigsweir Woods Blaisdon Hall Bourton Down Box Farm Meadows Boxwell Brassey Brooks Head Grove Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Railway Tunnel Bull Cross, The Frith and Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood and Ashberry Goose House Chaceley Meadow Clarke's Pool Meadow Cleeve Common Cockleford Marsh Collinpark Wood Coombe Hill Canal Coombe Hill Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods Cotswold Water Park Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake Daneway Banks Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar Devil's Chapel Scowles Dingle Wood Dixton Wood Dymock Woods Edge Common Elmlea Meadows Frampton Pools Highbury Wood Hobbs Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Innsworth Meadow Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote and Horsley Woods Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common Lineover Wood Lower Woods Lower Wye Gorge May Hill Midger Minchinhampton Common Nagshead Old Bow and Old Ham Mines Old River Severn, Upper Lode Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury Poor's Allotment Puckham Woods Range Farm Fields River Wye Rodborough Common Rough Bank, Miserden Salmonsbury Meadows Selsley Common Severn Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff and Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe Hill Strawberry Banks Swanpool Wood and Furnace Grove Swift's Hill Sylvan House Barn The Hudnalls The Malvern Hills Tudor Farm Bank Turvey's Piece Upper Severn Estuary Upham Meadow and Summer Leasow Upper Wye Gorge Walmore Common Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine Whelford Meadow Wigpool Ironstone Mine Wildmoorway Meadows Winson Meadows Woodchester Park Workman's Wood Wotton Hill Yarley Meadows

Neighbouring areas Avon Hereford and Worcester Oxfordshire Wiltshire

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