White Carr Meadow

Also within

East Riding of Yorkshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Carr

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Triassic

Landscape processes: Fluvial, Glacial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area, 1.1 hectares 2.7 ac Description White Carr Meadow is a small damp hayfield situated on alluvial gley soils overlying Triassic Mercia Mudstones and glacial drift adjacent to the Pocklington Canal near Bielby. The meadow is important as one of the best remaining examples of unimproved, species rich damp neutral grassland in North Humberside and is maintained by traditional management for hay. Such meadows, which were formerly widespread, are now restricted in distribution due to agricultural improvement, particularly drainage, reseeding and the use of artificial fertilisers. The grassland sward consists of a diverse assemblage of forbs, grasses and sedges with meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis, meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, common knapweed Centaurea nigra and meadow buttercup Ranunculus acris being particularly abundant. Other species occurring within the meadow include bugle Ajuga reptans, betony Betonica officinalis, cowslip Primula veris, devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis, ragged-robin Silene flos-cuculi, cuckoo-flower Cardamine pratensis, hairy sedge Carex hirta and cat's ear Hypochaeris radicata. Of particular note is the widespread occurrence within the meadow of pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, a species with a restricted distribution in Humberside.

Species mentioned