Stoke Common Meadows is a 10.2-hectare (25.2 acres) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, England, notable for its species-rich grassland. The site comprises two herb-rich hay meadows and two small ponds, and is managed by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, together with the adjacent Blakehill Farm nature reserve to the north-east.^[1][2]

The gently sloping site is about 95 metres (312 ft) above sea level, and has seasonally waterlogged soils owing to the underlying impermeable Oxford Clay. A shallow ridge and furrow system results in significant differences in hydrology across the site, which is reflected in the plant communities supported.^[1]

Flora and fauna

The meadow ridges support large populations of a range of grasses and sedges, including sweet vernalgrass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), red fescue (Festuca rubra), common bent (Agrostis
capillaris), crested dog’s-tail (Cynosurus cristatus), Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus) and
glaucous sedge (Carex flacca). The much wetter forrows support populations of tufted hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa), rough meadow-grass (Poa trivialis), compact rush (Juncus conglomeratus), jointed rush (Juncus articulatus), creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) and greater bird’s-foottrefoil (Lotus pedunculatus).^[1]

The boundary hedges contain a variety of woody species including blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), the larval foodplant of the increasingly rare brown hairstreak butterfly (Thecla betulae).^[1]