Leven Canal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

Tender description

Leven Canal SSSI is situated some 5km NE of Beverley in East Yorkshire (TA 056449) the 5 kilometre length of the Leven Canal was cut in 1802 across the marshes and meres of the Hull valley. Following drainage of surrounding marshland it provided a refuge for wetland plants and now supports an important remnant of this once much more widespread vegetation (Crackles, 1968). The canal is fed from the River Hull, which is tidal at the point where it meets the Leven Canal. The canal sides and banks show a zonation of emergent fen species, including large stands of the common reed Phragmites australis and common clubrush Schoenoplectus lacustris, together with purple small-reed Calamagrostis canescens, narrow small-reed C. stricta and hybrids, (see Crackles, 1977), blunt-flowered rush Juncus subnodulosus, tubular waterdropwort Oenanthe fistulosa, water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile, purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria, brown sedge Carex disticha and bottle sedge C. rostrata. There is a wide range of aquatic plant species including arrowhead Sagittaria sagittifolia, flowering rush Butomus umbellatus, yellow water-lily Nuphar lutea, white water-lily Nymphaea alba, shining pondweed Potamogeton lucens and broad-leaved pondweed P. natans. More information on the SSSI can be found on our website at http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/.