Following the introductory news article earlier this year, here we have a further update to the Brampton Parish Biodiversity Project.
Brampton Parish lies in the western belt of Huntingdon District Council in the County of Cambridgeshire.
The parish has several Sites of Special Scientific Interest including Brampton Wood and Portholme Meadow already known to support a particularly diverse fauna and flora. Surveys in 2013/14 (the Brampton Biodiversity Project undertaken with seed funding from the NBN) have identified several other ‘hotspots’. The graveyard of Saint Mary Magdalene Church had 77 lichen species and the London Anglers Association River Lane gravel pits over 60 species of fly as well as 22 species of mosses and liverworts. The grassy banks near the entrance to the Racecourse are rich in plants, including a newly discovered colony of Bee Orchids. This area also supported a rare picture winged fly Acinia corniculata (Knapweed Fly), the first record in Huntingdonshire. Other biodiversity ‘hot spots’ include the small fishery lake next to the A1, the A1 flyover and road verge all on Brampton Road (the last being another Bee Orchid site). Reports are being prepared for these sites and others. In addition, a review of the origins of the landscape, how this has changed and its present status will also be undertaken.
Below you will find copies of the first tranche of draft ‘Hot Spot’ reports.
Written by Pat Doody, Brampton July 2016
Hot Spot reports
River Great Ouse floodplain Meadows
Hotspot report, River Great Ouse