Ash Common LNR

Grid Ref: ST 155 288.

Post Code: TA4 3LZ

Location: Ash Common is located approximately six miles to the north-west of Taunton, just off the A358 Taunton to Williton Road.

Status: Local Wildlife Site and Local Nature Reserve.

Date of Designation: 22 November 1995.

Size of Reserve: 20.42 hectares.

Ownership: Privately owned. Managed by TDBC.

Community Group: Taunton mid-week Conservation Volunteers.

Description

Ash Common, the Council's first Local Nature Reserve, is also its largest. It is comprised of a mosaic of habitats with areas of unimproved neutral grassland, semi-natural deciduous woodland, wet heath, scrub, bracken, carr and stream. There are also important features for wildlife and amenity including hedgerows, lone trees, footpaths, rides, clearings and three small ponds. The Common is privately owned but has been managed by the Council since 1992, with grant aid from Natural England.

The habitats on the Common support a wide variety of flora and fauna, including some relatively uncommon species such as early marsh orchid, tway blade, quaking grass, harvest mouse, viviparous lizard and tree pipit. Recent wildlife surveys have also established the presence of the marsh fritillary butterfly and several unusual species of fungi.

Management of the Reserve includes mowing of the unimproved neutral grassland once a year, cutting back of bracken and scrub and coppicing of trees in the woodland.

Downloadable documents

Ash Common Local Nature Reserve information sheet (522 KB)
Ash Common in Spring and Summer information sheet (645 KB)
Ash Common in Autumn and Winter information sheet (518 KB)  

The documents on this website can be downloaded and are published using the   Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format. To view or print these documents, Adobe's Acrobat PDF reader is required which can be downloaded from the Adobe Systems' website (external link)