Ridlins Mire Hmwt Nature Reserve

A small but very unusual dome of peat with associated mire vegetation

This small area of wetland has developed where water appears in the form of a spring. The permanently wet conditions have allowed the development of peat, slowly growing over many years into a domed structure. This unusual habitat is technically called 'rheotrophic hangmire' and is only one of four in Hertfordshire and Middlesex. The top of the peat dome supports unusual spring-line fen and mire vegetation with prominent tussock sedge and marsh marigold.