Hickling Broad

It is a National Nature Reserve established by English Nature and in the care of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

It is also part of the Upper Thurne Broads and Marshes[?] Site of Special Scientific Interest.

It is the largest broad, only 1.5 m deep, and has 586 hectares of open water, making it one of the largest expanses of open water in East Anglia.

It has the largest reed-bed in England and supports rare waterweeds such as the holly-leaved naiad and three rare species of stonewort[?]. Amonst the rare insects is the swallowtail butterfly[?] which feeds on milk-parsley[?], the Norfolk hawker Aeshna isosceles and emperor dragonfly.