Totteridge Common
Encyclopedia
Totteridge Common is a 3.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve
, Borough Grade II, in Totteridge
in the London Borough of Barnet
. The nature reserve is the southern verge of the road Totteridge Common, between Totteridge Park and Oak Lodge, and is owned by the Totteridge Manor Association.
The most interesting feature ecologically is a chain of old ponds. Starting from the east, they are Burnham's Pond, Warren Pond, Long Pond, Ellern Mede Pond and Pink Cottage Pond. They vary in character, but all have interesting wetland flora, and most are valuable for dragonflies, other invertebrates and amphibians. Plants to be found around the edges of the ponds include lesser spearwort
, trifid bur-marigold
and fool's watercress (Apium nodiflorum
). In deeper water, white water-lily
and curled and broad-leaved pondweed
s can be found. Long Pond is used for angling.
The common also has grassland, scattered trees, overgrown hedgerows and several pockets of scrubby woodland. The woodland is mainly composed of sycamore and elm
. Other trees include two young native black poplar (Populus nigra ssp betulifolia), a rare tree in Britain and a priority species in the London Biodiversity Action Plan. There are also some fine mature oak
s and horse-chestnut
s scattered throughout the common. The grassland has a fairly good range of wild flowers, and damp areas near some of the ponds contain much tufted hair-grass
.
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
, Borough Grade II, in Totteridge
Totteridge
Totteridge is an area of the London Borough of Barnet in north London, England. It is a mixture of suburban development and open land situated 8.20 miles north north-west of Charing Cross....
in the London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
. The nature reserve is the southern verge of the road Totteridge Common, between Totteridge Park and Oak Lodge, and is owned by the Totteridge Manor Association.
The most interesting feature ecologically is a chain of old ponds. Starting from the east, they are Burnham's Pond, Warren Pond, Long Pond, Ellern Mede Pond and Pink Cottage Pond. They vary in character, but all have interesting wetland flora, and most are valuable for dragonflies, other invertebrates and amphibians. Plants to be found around the edges of the ponds include lesser spearwort
Ranunculus flammula
Ranunculus flammula L. is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the genus Ranunculus , growing in damp places throughout the Boreal Kingdom. It is very closely related to R. reptans L., which is distinguished by prostrate and more slender stems, narrower leaves and smaller flowers and is...
, trifid bur-marigold
Bidens tripartita
Bidens tripartita, commonly known as Three-lobe Beggarticks, Three-part Beggarticks, Leafy-bracted Beggarticks or Trifid Bur-marigold, is a flowering plant in the genus Bidens. It is native to large parts of the Northern hemisphere, including Europe, the Indian subcontinent, North America,...
and fool's watercress (Apium nodiflorum
Apium
Apium is a genus of about 20 species of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, with a subcosmopolitan distribution in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and Australia. They are medium to tall biennial or perennial plants growing wet ground...
). In deeper water, white water-lily
Nymphaea alba
Nymphaea alba, also known as the European White Waterlily, White Lotus, or Nenuphar, is an aquatic flowering plant of the family Nymphaeaceae....
and curled and broad-leaved pondweed
Potamogeton natans
Potamogeton natans L. is an aquatic species in the genus Potamogeton native to quiet or slow-flowing freshwater habitats throughout the Holarctic Kingdom....
s can be found. Long Pond is used for angling.
The common also has grassland, scattered trees, overgrown hedgerows and several pockets of scrubby woodland. The woodland is mainly composed of sycamore and elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
. Other trees include two young native black poplar (Populus nigra ssp betulifolia), a rare tree in Britain and a priority species in the London Biodiversity Action Plan. There are also some fine mature oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s and horse-chestnut
Horse-chestnut
Horse chestnut may refer to:*Horse-chestnut or Aesculus hippocastanum, a species of large deciduous tree**Horse chestnuts, Eurasian species of the genus Aesculus*Horse Chestnut , a South African Thoroughbred racehorse...
s scattered throughout the common. The grassland has a fairly good range of wild flowers, and damp areas near some of the ponds contain much tufted hair-grass
Tufted Hair-grass
Deschampsia cespitosa, commonly known as Tufted Hair-grass or Tussock grass is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae...
.
External links
- Totteridge Common on the VisitWoods website