Prestwick Road Meadows Local Nature Reserve

Prestwick Road Meadows Local Nature Reserve is a small wild flower meadow in South Oxhey.  Flower-rich meadows have declined by 97% since the 1940s with Prestwick Road Meadows being one of the few that has survived.  Although it takes around half an hour to walk around there is plenty to see at this remnant of old farm meadows.  The ancient hedgerows that once separated the fields can still be seen as can the starlings that like to roost in them.  A seasonal pond attracts frogs and herons in spring with the summer being the best time to see the meadow in flower.  The purple knapweed, yellow birds-foot trefoil and red clover create a colourful patchwork that comes alive with butterflies and the sound of grasshoppers.  By autumn the hedgerows provide food for a wide variety of birds.