A fragment of the former Finchley Common, this site has some tall scrub and woodland with a number of excellent wetland features, including numerous streams and seasonal small pools. Glebelands was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1997.
Local Wildlife Site
Accessible Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation
Glebelands Local Nature Reserve
Borough: Barnet
Grade: Borough Grade I
Access: Free public access (all/most of site)
Area: 7.71 ha
Description
Wildlife
Most of the woodland is dominated by hawthorn, with taller oak and ash at the eastern end and silver birch in the west. In damper areas willows dominate, with alder trees along the woodland streams. The pools support an interesting wetland plant community, with a number of rare species. Here is the only known London site for lesser water-plantain. Thread-leaved water-crowfoot and marsh speedwell also occur, and both are very rare in London. Other wetland plants include common marsh-bedstraw, tufted forget-me-not, jointed rush, brooklime, lesser spearwort, false fox-sedge and celery-leaved buttercup. An adjacent abandoned allotment site supports a population of slow-worms. The site also has a good diversity of breeding birds.Facilities
Information (on signs).
Lesser water-plantain © David Bevan
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