Burleigh Meadow

The meadow is next to Pigeonswick cottage. A footpath goes throughout the meadow itself to Norton Green. It is part of the Knebworth Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest. The damp conditions and acid soils mean that heathy plants rare in Hertfordshire thrive. The two plants giving the yellow colour are relatives of Gorse: Petty Whin and Dyers Greenweed. The meadow is lightly grazed by geese and ponies, all quite friendly, honest. The pond in the meadow is a good site to watch dragonflies in the summer. In the wetter parts of the Meadow Lousewort, another rare plant in Herts and more common wetland plants like Watermint and Rushes are abundant. However in the last few years the meadow has lost a rare plant, the Meadow Thistle. A drop in the level of groundwater caused by a series of dry Summers and over-abstraction meant conditions were too dry. What will happen to Burleigh Meadow if adjacent land is built on is uncertain.