Foxes Bridge Bog

Foxes Bridge Bog is a 5.3-hectare nature reserve in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. It sits in a depression formed by Coal Measures and is fed by a stream from the north. The site has been a reserve since 1977 and represents what remains of an ancient acid bog. It is separated from Woorgreens Lake and Marsh by the B4226 road. Water levels are controlled by a sluice linked to the adjacent reserve. The bog is one of the rarest habitats in Gloucestershire and a significant example of a sphagnum bog. It supports a wide range of lichens growing on trees and rocks. Marsh St John’s-wort appears here and nowhere else in the county. Other plants include marsh violet, slender tufted-sedge and common cotton-grass. The uncommon small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly thrives here thanks to the marsh violets. Visitors find a sheltered but open site with oak woodland planted around 1860. A drainage channel runs through the centre of the bog. Fallow deer and forest sheep graze the area. Two publications describe walks for wildlife observation in this part of the Forest of Dean. Dragonflies such as the broad-bodied chaser are abundant near the water.