Hertford Heath nature reserve

Hertford Heath nature reserve is a 28 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hertford Heath in Hertfordshire. It is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the local planning authority is East Hertfordshire District Council.

Heathland is a threatened habitat in southern England, and this site is a good example of lowland heath on pebble gravels, with open areas which have freely draining acidic soils. The heath is dominated by heather, and there are grass snakes and slow worms. Sphagnum mosses and creeping willow are found in wetter areas. Secondary woodland on acid London clay is mainly oak and hornbeam, with an understorey of holly. Ponds support the rare water violet and a rich invertebrate fauna such as great crested and smooth newts, the water spider and eight species of dragonfly. Birds include the great-spotted woodpecker and nuthatch.

The reserve is in two parts on either side of London Road. The southern part is accessed from The Roundings, next to the College Arms public house. It adjoins Balls Wood, which is also managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. The northern area is off Heath Lane, opposite the pub.

References

^ "Hertford Heath citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
"Map of Hertford Heath". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
"Hertford Heath". Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
"Map of Balls Wood, Hobbyhouse Wood and Hertford Heath nature reserves" (PDF). Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
"Hertford Heath Nature Reserve". Wildlife Extra. Retrieved 15 February 2015.

v t e Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hertfordshire
Biological	Aldbury Nowers Alpine Meadow Amwell Quarry Ashridge Commons and Woods Ashwell Springs Benington High Wood Blagrove Common Bricket Wood Common Croxley Common Moor Frogmore Meadows Great Hormead Park Hertford Heath Hunsdon Mead Knebworth Woods Moor Hall Meadows Northaw Great Wood Oddy Hill and Tring Park Patmore Heath Plashes Wood Redwell Wood Roughdown Common Rye Meads Sarratt Bottom Sawbridgeworth Marsh Sherrardspark Wood Tewinbury Therfield Heath Thorley Flood Pound Tring Reservoirs Tring Woodlands Turnford and Cheshunt Pits Wain Wood Water End Swallow Holes Whippendell Wood Wormley-Hoddesdonpark Wood North Wormley-Hoddesdonpark Wood South
Geological	Castle Lime Works Quarry Downfield Pit, Westmill Hillcollins Pit Little Heath Pit Moor Mill Quarry, West Oughtonhead Lane Westwood Quarry

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hertfordshire

Biological

Geological

v t e Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust
Dacorum	Aldbury Nowers Alpine Meadow Long Deans Tring Reservoirs
East Hertfordshire	Amwell Quarry Balls Wood Danemead Hertford Heath Hunsdon and Eastwick Meads King's Meads Patmore Heath Rye Meads Tewin Orchard and Hopkyns Wood Tewinbury Thorley Wash Waterford Heath Willowmead
Hertsmere	Hilfield Park Reservoir
North Hertfordshire	Ashwell Quarry and Quarry Springs Blagrove Common Fox Covert Hawkins Wood Hexton Chalk Pit Oughtonhead Purwell Ninesprings
Stevenage	Ridlins Mire
Three Rivers	Frogmore Meadows Longspring Wood Stocker's Lake
Watford	Cassiobury Park
Welwyn Hatfield	Fir and Pond Woods Gobions Wood Lemsford Springs Stanborough Reedmarsh Stocking Springs Wood
Hillingdon	Broadwater Lake Old Park Wood Uxbridge Alderglade
Former reserves	Barkway Chalk Pit Darland's Lake Nature Reserve Hill End Pit Marshalls Heath Pryor's Wood Rowley Green Common Sawbridgeworth Marsh Telegraph Hill

51°46′53″N 0°02′14″W / 51.7813°N 0.0372°W / 51.7813; -0.0372

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