Flitwick Moor by Pat Doody
Flitwick Moor by Pat Doody
Unique and incredibly varied, this Living Landscape encompasses dry and sandy soil, wet woodland, fen, flower meadow and bog... which means that it is brimming with wildlife comprising the unusual, the spectacular, the shy and the downright odd. Where else in the region could you find yellow brain fungus, tussock sedge, chimney sweeper moths, water rails, ladies' bedstraw and conehead bush-crickets?
The Greensand Ridge is a dominant landscape feature in Bedfordshire, supporting large woodlands, major parks such as Woburn and relics of heathland.
There is an important geological relationship between the Greensand Ridge and the wetlands in the Flit Valley, as many of those wetlands are fed by springs bubbling out under the Greensand. The Flit Valley wetlands include the Wildife Trust’s Flitwick Moor: a unique complex of peaty fen, mire, wet woodland and meadows bisected by the river and many drains and ditches, plus a string of smaller wet woodlands and meadows.
The Flit Valley and Greensand Ridge Living Landscape project will enhance the existing landscape, bringing all the remaining priority habitat sites into conservation management, extending them to join fragments that are close together and encouraging landowners to embrace wildlife-friendly practices.
As well as giving wildlife the best possible chance in the future, the project will create open spaces for local people to get to know. It will also make a contribution flood management and raising water quality in the Flit Valley. It is an informal partnership project with the Greensand Trust, Central Bedfordshire Council and the Internal Drainage Board.
