water meadow
Seasonally flooded grassland
A water meadow is low-lying grassland adjacent to a river, periodically flooded either naturally or through a system of channels and sluices.
The flooding deposits nutrient-rich silt that promotes early grass growth for grazing livestock.
Water meadows were once common in England, where farmers engineered elaborate irrigation systems to control spring flooding: The sheep were moved to the water meadows in April.
- marshGrassy waterlogged lowland
- riparianRelating to riverbanks
- river bankLand bordering a watercourse
- floodplainFlood-prone riverside lowland
- alluviumWater-deposited loose sediment
pasture · floodland · wetland · aquatic · fluvial · sedimentation · ecosystem · English countryside · reed bed · hydrology · irrigation · wildlife corridor · riverbank · amphibians · otter · tributary · beaver · delta
water, meadow, waters, watered, watering, waterway, waterfall, waterproof, underwater