Mappp.co - Great Stukeley Railway Cutting

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Condition (Natural England)

Unfavourable Recovering (7)

Unit	Feature	Condition	Area (ha)	Assessed
TL233759	—	Unfavourable Recovering	3.25	2014-07-22
TL235739	—	Unfavourable Recovering	4.83	2014-07-22
TL235752	—	Unfavourable Recovering	5.08	2014-07-22
TL236739	—	Unfavourable Recovering	2.31	2014-07-22
TL236745	—	Unfavourable Recovering	5.84	2014-07-22
TL236752	—	Unfavourable Recovering	4.62	2014-07-22
TL237745	—	Unfavourable Recovering	5.72	2014-07-22

Habitats

Mixed scrub, Montane scrub

Description

Area, 35.6 hectares 88 ac Description This site is an extensive railway cutting which holds plant communities typical of calcareous clay grassland. This is a habitat type which was widespread on the clay lands of Huntingdonshire at the turn of the century, but which is now scarce as a result of reclamation for agriculture. This habitat type is also scarce throughout its normal range in Britain. Two distinct communities are represented and these reflect the degree of past and present management. The most herb rich areas are present on the steep cutting which runs the length of the site. Dominant grasses on the cutting are tor grass Brachypodium pinnatum, false oat grass Arrhenatherum elatius, red fescue Festuca rubra, with glaucous sedge Carex flacca. A wide variety of herbs are present including spiny rest-harrow Ononis spinosa, dropwort Filipendula vulgaris, Dyer’s greenweed Genista tinctoria, sulphur clover Trifolium ochroleucon, zigzag clover T. medium and pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis. Away from the steep cutting the grassland is less herb rich and is dominated by coarse grass, particularly false oat grass. The intermittent burning and rabbit grazing that the site receives has allowed the maintenance of this valuable wildlife habitat in an otherwise intensively farmed area. Additional habitats of general wildlife value on the site include ponds and scrub. Low scrub supports a breeding colony of the great green bush cricket Tettigonia viridissima, a predominantly southern species present here at the edge of its British range.

Species mentioned

Show the 10 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status

English name search for this in other sites	Latin name search with Google	IUCN / Red List	Type	Family
great green bush-cricket	Tettigonia viridissima	LC	bush cricket	tettigoniidae
false oat grass	Arrhenatherum elatius	LC	grass	poaceae
tor grass	Brachypodium pinnatum	LC	grass	poaceae
red fescue	Festuca rubra	LC	grass	poaceae
pyramidal orchid	Anacamptis pyramidalis	LC	herb	orchidaceae
dropwort	Filipendula vulgaris	LC	herb	rosaceae
dyer's greenweed	Genista tinctoria	LC	herb	fabaceae
spiny rest-harrow	Ononis spinosa	Not listed in GB list	herb	fabaceae
sulphur clover	Trifolium ochroleucon	EN	herb	fabaceae
glaucus sedge	Carex flacca	LC	sedge	cyperaceae

Plant communities

W20 — Montane scrub

Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub

Show 107 indicator species

Salix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis

W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub

Show 81 indicator species

Hedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas

W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub

Show 49 indicator species

Hedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas