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| North Pennines |
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| Habitat: Upland hay meadows (of national significance) |
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Characterised by the dense growth of grasses and higher plants up to 80 cm tall, with a striking variety and abundance of plants. These meadows are typical of brown soils on level to gently-sloping sites between 200 m and 400 m altitude.
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Of great interest, in terms of nature conservation, are those unimproved neutral grasslandswhich have escaped the effects of agricultural improvement. The high rainfall, together withlow temperatures and a short growing season, produce a grassland community related to thosefound in the mountains of the Alps and Scandinavia. Rare and characteristic componentsindicative of a herb-rich meadow flora include: wood cranesbill, great burnet, pignut, woodanemone, bugle, globeflower, common sorrel, marsh hawk's-beard, lady's mantle (variousspecies), marsh marigold, glaucous sedge, water avens, eyebright species, field woodrush,ragged robin, rough hawkbit, primrose, moonwort, adders' tongue, common twayblade,common spotted orchid, meadow vetchling, yellow rattle, bistort, meadow saxifrage andmelancholy thistle.
These herbs can be encountered at various levels of abundance in the unimproved meadowsof the Pennine dales. They combine with grasses such as sweet vernal-grass, red fescue,quaking-grass, golden oat-grass and meadow oat-grass to create a brilliantly coloured summersward. The species richness of this upland grassland has been maintained by traditionalfarming practices. Many examples form part of the ‘in-bye' land of Pennine hill farms. Heremeadows are cut for hay between early July or early August (depending on the weather) oncethe food-value of the crop has peaked and the flowers have set seed. Following the cut,grazing animals are re-introduced once more until winter. Most meadows also receive a lightapplication of farmyard manure which helps to maintain a healthy hay crop and a healthy wildflower community.
Most examples of this grassland type occur within enclosed farmland but fragments exist asroadside verges. There is also a rather striking similarity between these meadows and theground-flora of the North Pennine ash woodlands. It is highly likely that these hay meadowsderive from clearance of such woodlands and have been maintained ever since by regularcutting and grazing.
Another feature of these northern hay meadows is their heterogeneity. Locally steep terrainoften means that, within the meadows, certain banks are uncut allowing them to develop asubtly different flora which often includes mat-grass, devil's-bit scabious, betony, fragrantorchid and occasionally, the rare small white orchid. Other meadows contain flushes whichmay again discourage cutting.
The best examples in the North Pennines Natural Area are Sites of Special Scientific Interest and a number occur within the Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve. A slow drivethrough Teesdale, from Middleton towards Harwood, in early July, is rewarded by the sightof a number of such meadows at their most colourful. Hannah's Meadows in Baldersdale,farmed by Miss Hannah Hawkswell up to her retirement, are another two such mountain haymeadows. These species-rich grasslands, now part of a Durham Wildlife Trust Reserve, arenow recognised to be of European significance, along with other Durham, Cumbria andNorthumberland meadows which are included within the North Pennine Dales Meadowscandidate Special Area of Conservation.
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