Henlow Common and Langford Meadows is a 18.4-hectare (45-acre) Local Nature Reserve on the west side of the River Ivel in Langford. It is owned and managed by Central Bedfordshire Council. [1] [2] Henlow Common is common land. [3]
The River Ivel is a north-flowing river in the western part of east of England. It is primarily in Bedfordshire; it is a tributary of the River Great Ouse and has sources including in the Barton Hills.
Langford is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England about 10 miles (16 km) south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census gives the population as 3,091.
Central Bedfordshire Council is the unitary authority for Central Bedfordshire in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England.
Despite being two miles north of Henlow, Henlow Common is now situated in Langford parish after an exchange of land in 1985 between the two parishes. As a registered common it keeps its original name. [4] Dams Ditch, earlier called Adams Ditch, runs through the middle of the reserve. It is more like a small river than a ditch.
Henlow is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England.
This site is mainly grassland with areas of scrub and bushes, native trees and a stream. It is an important area for wildlife. Plants include marsh marigolds. Kingfishers are present and the river bank has otters and water voles. [1]
Caltha palustris, known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium size perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It flowers between April and August, dependent on altitude and latitude, but occasional flowers may occur at other times.
Kingfishers or Alcedinidae are a family of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The family contains 114 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey usually caught by swooping down from a perch. While kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates. Like other members of their order, they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground. Some kingfishers nest in arboreal termite nests. A few species, principally insular forms, are threatened with extinction. In Britain, the word "kingfisher" normally refers to the common kingfisher.
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes weasels, badgers, honey badgers, martens, minks, polecats, and wolverines.
There is access from Langford Road and by a footpath from the High Street.
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