Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Stand still, close your eyes and listen to the whispering of the fen
These small valley fens have survived the threat of nearby dredging of the Little Ouse River and are havens for water-loving plants. Both Old Fen and Middle Fen are dominated by a mix of saw sedge and black bog rush, with shows of grass-of-Parnassus in the calcium-rich spring flushes. Marsh lousewort grows here along with stonewort an interesting algae whose skeleton can be seen in pools amongst the sedge.
Old Fen is now mainly alder carr and has dried out to some extent, but the mixed sedge fen in the middle is bursting with wild flowers. Breeding birds include snipe, with its drumming mating display, and grasshopper warbler, identified by its reeling song.
Species and habitats
- Species
- Grass-of-Parnassus, Snipe
Nearby nature reserves
- Hopton Fen
- 2 miles - Suffolk Wildlife Trust
- Market Weston Fen
- 2 miles - Suffolk Wildlife Trust
- Redgrave & Lopham Fen
- 3 miles - Suffolk Wildlife Trust