Muston Meadows

{{Infobox SSSI

|image= Muston Meadows 3.jpg

|image_caption =

|name= Muston Meadows

|aos= Leicestershire

|interest=Biological

|gridref={{gbmappingsmall| SK 825 368 }}

|area= 8.8 hectares

|notifydate= 1983

|map=[http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271003316%27 Magic Map]

}}

Muston Meadows is an {{convert|8.8|hectare|acre|adj=on}} biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Muston in Leicestershire.{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1003316&SiteName=muston&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: Muston Meadows | series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate = 27 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271003316%27 |title=Map of Muston Meadows|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate= 27 August 2017}} It is also a National Nature Reserve{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=1006108&SiteName=muston&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea=|title=Designated Sites View: Muston Meadows | series= National Nature Reserves|publisher=Natural England|accessdate = 27 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/leicestershires-national-nature-reserves/leicestershires-national-nature-reserves|title=Leicestershire's National Nature Reserves|date=31 October 2008|publisher=Natural England|accessdate= 8 August 2017}} and a Nature Conservation Review site.{{cite web|url=https://necmsi.esdm.co.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1003316.pdf|title=Muston Meadows citation|series=Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate=27 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827170617/https://necmsi.esdm.co.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1003316.pdf|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=dead}}

These ridge and furrow meadows are on soils derived from clay. Herbs include green-winged orchid, lady's bedstraw, yellow rattle, pepper saxifrage and cowslip.

The site is in two different areas, both of which are open to the public.

At Muston Meadows, hay is cut in late summer and over winter the meadow is grazed by cattle.[https://granthamecology.com/tag/muston-meadows/ Grantham Ecology - Muston Meadows] This prevents the meadow habitat from transitioning to forest through ecological succession.[https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/20645220.pdf Biological Conservation - The Impact of Mowing as a Management Strategy for Wet Meadows on Spider Communities][https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/18/sheep-graze-londons-royal-parks-wildflower-meadow-bid/ The Telegraph - Sheep Graze London's Royal Parks in Wildflower Meadow Bid] Some of the plants in the nature reserve only grow in meadows and this kind of habitat is very threatened in the UK; 97% of Britain's wildflower meadows have been destroyed since the 1930s.[https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/wildflower-meadows-farms-agriculture-flowers-environment-brexit-butterflies-bees-defra-a8433541.html The Independent - Nearly all British wildflower meadows have been eradicated, prompting calls for urgent government action]