TRANSACTIONS of the NORFOLK & NORWICH NATURALISTS' SOCIETY Volume 47 Part 1 2014 & Volume 48 Part 1 2015 combined Natural History Museum Library TRANSACTIONS OF ooo2266oa_ .._ { NATURALISTS' SOCIETY Volume47 Parti 2014 & Volume 48 Parti 2015 (published April 2016) Editor: AR Leech Assistant Editors: S Harrap & NW Owens Published by the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society www.nnns.org.uk Contributions for Volume 49 (2016) should be sent to the Editor, Nick Owens, 22 Springfield Close, Weybourne, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7TB [email protected], from whom notes for contributors can be obtained. The Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists'Society has as a principal aim the investigation and recording of Norfolk's wildlife and to this end it publishes: • An annual volume of Transactions, consisting of papers and notes on wildlife in the county. • The Norfolk Bird and Mammal Report which contains systematic lists of observations on the county's birds and mammals, as well as relevant articles. • The Norfolk Natterjack, a quarterly illustrated newsletter. All of these publications are free to members, as are Occasional Publications on specific topics. The Society also arranges lectures and field meetings which are planned to appeal to anyone interested in natural history. More specialist groups cover many aspects of the county's flora and fauna. The subscription rate is £20 per year, which includes all members of a family living at the same address. Membership enquiries should be made to: David Richmond, 42 Richmond Rise, Reepham, Norfolk, NR10 4LS, All other enquiries should be directed to the Secretary, Nick Owens, 22 Springfield Close, Weybourne, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7TB.Tel: 01263 588410. The Society gratefully acknowledges the support of the Sarnia Trust in the production of this publication. ISSN 0375 7226 © Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society 2014 Charity No. 291604 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electrical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988. Applications for permission should be addressed to the Secretary (see address see website: www.nnns.org.uk). Printed by Barnwell Print Ltd, Aylsham, Norfolk NR11 6SU.Tel: 01263 732767 > rr L» j csj Vegetation development in the Broadland fens X 1 < - LU CO Jo Parmenter P LD < Introduction litter/fodder mowing, and grazing: “On the The Broadland fens form part of a complex basis of the information available, turbary2 and extensive mosaic of waterways, shallow would seem to be the most economically lakes, grazing marsh, woodland and arable important and widespread historic land land occupying approximately 300 km2 use, followed by the cutting of various (George 1992). This area of land lies in the types of vegetation (litter, reed, sedge valleys of three major rivers; the Bure, Yare etc.), and lastly, grazing. Turbary was and Waveney, and their main tributaries, particularly prominent in the medieval the Ant, Thurne, and Muckfleet. See Fig. 1 period, producing the deep, water-filled for map of Broadland fens. basins which dominate the landscape to the present day, but peat cutting continued until Over two-thirds of the Broadland landscape the early 20th century. During the medieval is managed as agricultural land; either and post-medieval periods the demand for intensively managed pasture (grazing marsh) litter and fodder is likely to have risen with or'high quality arable land. Much of the the increasing population. By the late 18th remainder is seminatural vegetation or open century, it was possibly as important as peat water. The Broads National Character Area cutting to the local economy and probably Profile (http://publications.naturalengland. greatly exceeded the importance of reed and org.uk/publication/11549064) records that sedge cutting. over 7,000 ha of land is nationally designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Peat has been cut for fuel in Broadland for with international designations including over 1000 years. The increased use of peat three Special Protection Areas (SPA), two as a fuel source from the late Saxon period Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and onwards led to the creation of extensive two Ramsar sites. Key habitats include turbaries in Broadland. A large proportion grazing marsh (c.12,300 ha) and fen and of the floodplain, and possibly over 75% reedbed (c.10,400 ha), as well as the most of the land area in the middle and upper extensive tract of wet woodland within floodplains, has been cut for peat. Many eastern England. A number of iconic species of the fen communities which are found are present in the Broads, including 95% of growing over the former turbaries are the UK population of Fen Orchid Liparis relatively recent in origin and the great loeselii var. loeselii1 (Mason 2014), and the majority of the colonisation of open water entire UK population of the Swallowtail by fen vegetation has taken place over butterfly Papilio machaon Both of these the last 175 years. The apparently sudden species are restricted to fen habitat. proliferation of fen communities over the medieval turbaries was in most cases in Principal environmental and response to the accumulation of lake mud anthropogenic influences upon fen and sediment to the point when the basin vegetation became sufficiently shallow to enable colonisation by swamp species (Lambert Five principal uses have historically been 1965). made of the Broadland fens. These were peat cutting, reed cutting, sedge cutting, The shallowest of the former medieval broad basins, at Dilham and Sutton, have already 1 See Appendix for English names of plants referred to in the text. succeeded to fen. Substantial areas of open Trans. Norfolk Norwich Nat. Soc. 2014 47(1) 1 kilometres Figure 1. Location of fen sites within The Broads area. Key opposite. 2 Trans. Norfolk Norwich Nat. Soc. 2014 47(1) The River Ant Fens 28 Upton Fen & The Doles 1 East Ruston Common, Honing Common 29 AcleCarrs & FishleyCarrs & Dilham Broad 30 Decoy CarrAcle 2 South Fen & The Holmes 31 Halvergate Marshes 3 Broad Fen & Smallburgh Fen 32 Wickhampton Marshes & The Fleet 4 Barton Fen, Common Fen & Stalham Fens Marshes 5 Sutton Fen, Sutton Broad & Hand Marsh The River Yare Fens & Ronds 6 Barton Broad Fens & The Heater 33 Whitlingham Marshes & Thorpe Marshes 7 Catfield Fen 34 Surlingham Church Marshes & Kirby Marshes 8 Reedham Marshes, Snipe Marsh, Hall Fen & Alderfen 35 Surlingham Broad Marshes, Bargate & The Outmeadows The River Thurne Fens 36 Bradeston & Strumpshaw Marshes & 9 Horsey Mere, Brayden Marshes & Long Strumpshaw Common Gore Marsh 37 Surlingham Marsh, Wheatfen & Rockland 10 Skoyles Marsh, 100 Acre Marsh, Whiteslea Marshes & Meadow Dyke (North) 38 Ducans Marsh & Carleton Broad Marshes 11 Hickling Broad Marshes & Mrs Myhills 39 Buckenham & Hassingham Carrs & Marsh Buckenham Ronds 12 Heigham Sound, Meadow Dyke (South) 40 Poplar Farm Marshes, Limpenhoe & Sound Marshes Marshes & Cantley Ronds 13 Mere Farm Marshes, Starch Grass & 41 Hardley Flood, Chedgrave Common & Martham Broad Marshes Loddon Common 14 Potter Heigham Fen & Martham Marshes 42 Thurlton Beck Marshes 15 Womack Water Marshes & Shallam Dyke 43 Reedham Ronds The Muckfleet Fens The River Waveney Fens & Ronds 16 Ormesby Common, Ormesby Broad 44 Glebe Marshes & Burgh Castle Ronds Marshes & Hemsby Common 45 Belton Ronds 17 Rollesby Broad Marshes 46 Belton Bog & Bradwell Doles 18 Burgh Common & Filby Broad Marshes 47 Fritton Ronds The River Bure Fens 48 Fritton Decoy & Ashby Warren 19 Coltishall Marsh & Blackmans Fen 49 Herringfleet Ronds 20 Crostwick Marsh & Dobbs Beck Marshes 50 Wheatacre Marshes 21 Belaugh, Wroxham & Jubys Farm 51 Flixton Decoy, Wicker Well & Marshes Summerhouse Water 22 Snapes Water, Hoveton Marsh, Sedge Fen 52 Somerleyton & Blundeston Ronds & Salhouse Marshes 53 Burgh St Peter & Barnby Ronds 23 Woodbastwick Marshes & Hoveton Little Broad & The Lows 54 Barnby Broad & Marshes, North Cove & Wadehall Marshes 24 Ranworth Broad Marshes & Horning 55 Oulton Marshes, White Cast Marshes & Church Marshes Sprats Water 25 Horning Hall Marshes & Hulver Ground 56 Beccles Marshes, Wild Carr & Stanley & 26 Ranworth Marshes & Ward Marsh Alder Carrs 27 Ranworth Flood, Leists Marsh & South 57 Roos Hall Marshes, Barsham Marshes & Walsham Fen Geldeston Marshes Trans. Norfolk Norwich Nat. Soc. 2014 47(1) 3 water at Hickling Broad, Ranworth Broad individuals to make choices about the and Heigham Sound have also become way in which they would manage their grown over. The deeper basins, such as those land. Enclosure increased exploitation of at Trinity Broads and Fritton Decoy, are still fenland for mutually exclusive purposes, relatively open. The colonisation of the Yare such as turbary or litter cutting. It also valley broads by swamp and subsequently encouraged a much more organised fen vegetation has progressed much faster pattern of management and specialisation than elsewhere in Broadland, apparently of land use towards particular marketable because of the ability of Reed Sweet-grass fen products such as reed and sedge, rather Glyceria maxima to colonise quite deep water than continuing to manage one area of land without the necessity of being rooted in the for a number of different purposes. The underlying substrate (Lambert 1965). decision whether to cut peat or whether to harvest fen crops was probably largely Before enclosure, much of the upper valley an economic one, although the existing floodplain was held in common. Common vegetation would have to some extent fenland would have been used to supply determined the way in which the fen was a variety of commodities, including reed, managed. sedge, litter and peat. The most essential types of fen produce were peat for fuel Some areas of fen, particularly those which and fodder for feeding domestic animals, had undergone substantial terrestrialisation however the management regime had to or those on solid peat, have been grazed take into account the differing requirements in the past, usually in the drier summer of a large number of people and common months.