Bishop Wilton Deep Dale

Also within

East Riding of Yorkshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Unit	Feature	Condition	Area (ha)	Assessed
SE817562	—	Unfavourable Recovering	23.34	2013-07-25
SE822557	—	Favourable	20.1	2013-07-25

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk

Description

Area, 43.4 hectares 107.1 ac Description Bishop Wilton Deep Dale is a chalk grassland site in a dry valley complex exhibiting a variety of aspects. Tor Grass Brachypodium pinnatum is local dominant, interspersed with patches of finer grasses such as sheep’s fescue Festuca ovina, red fescue F. rubra, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, quaking grass Briza media and sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum. Typical chalk herbs which are locally frequent include harebell Campanula rotundifolia, glaucaus sedge Carex flacca, eyebright Euphrasia nemorosa, lady’s bedstraw Galium verum, autumn gentian Gentianella amarella, mouse ear hawkweed Pilosella officinarum, bird’s foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, purging flax Linum catharticum, burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga, cowslip Primula veris, salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba and thyme Thymus praecox. In general the south and east facing slopes are richer than the north or west facing ones; north facing slopes are characterised by pignut Conopodium majus, with sweet vernal grass, field wood rush Luzula campestris and barren strawberry Potentilla sterilis. The grassland is used for intermittent cattle grazing and scattered hawthorn Crataegus monogyna is wide spread, while dense, well grown hawthorn is present as a game covert in one locality. Bare chalk along cattle paths and in a small chalk pit is colonised by parsley piert Aphanes arvensis, whitlow grass Erophila verna, dove’s foot crane’s bill Geranium molle, mouse ear hawkweed, thyme and thyme leaved speedwell Veronica serpyllifolia.

Species mentioned

Show the 25 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status ▾

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Grouped by host-plant — open a plant to see its insects. Some insects feed on more than one of these plants, so they appear under each.

Hawthorn Crataegus 16

Figure of eight Diloba caeruleocephala	Endangered	any Crataegus
The lappet Gastropacha quercifolia	Endangered	Crataegus monogyna
Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	any Crataegus
Mouse moth Amphipyra tragopoginis	Vulnerable	any Crataegus
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	any Crataegus
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	any Crataegus
The lackey Malacosoma neustria	Vulnerable	Crataegus monogyna
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Crataegus monogyna
Early moth Theria primaria	Vulnerable	Crataegus monogyna
Pale eggar Trichiura crataegi	Vulnerable	Crataegus monogyna
Flounced chestnut Agrochola helvola	Near Threatened	Crataegus monogyna
Beaded chestnut Agrochola lychnidis	Near Threatened	Crataegus monogyna
Grey chi Antitype chi	Near Threatened	Crataegus monogyna
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	any Crataegus
Grey pug Eupithecia subfuscata	Near Threatened	Crataegus monogyna
Double dart Graphiphora augur	Near Threatened	any Crataegus

Birdsfoot trefoil Lotus corniculatus 8

Black-veined moth Siona lineata	Critically Endangered	Lotus corniculatus
New forest Zygaena viciae	Critically Endangered	Lotus corniculatus
Straw belle Aspitates gilvaria	Endangered	Lotus corniculatus
Wood white Leptidea sinapis	Endangered	Lotus corniculatus
Slender scotch Zygaena loti	Endangered	Lotus corniculatus
Mouse moth Amphipyra tragopoginis	Vulnerable	Lotus corniculatus
Dingy skipper Erynnis tages	Vulnerable	Lotus corniculatus
Silver studded blue Plebejus argus	Vulnerable	Lotus corniculatus

Sheep's fescue Festuca 5

Grayling Hipparchia semele	Vulnerable	Festuca ovina
Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus	Near Threatened	any Festuca
Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa	Near Threatened	Festuca ovina
Silver-spotted skipper Hesperia comma	Near Threatened	Festuca ovina
Rosy minor Litoligia literosa	Near Threatened	Festuca ovina

Lady's bedstraw Galium 5

Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata	Vulnerable	any Galium
White-line dart Euxoa tritici	Vulnerable	Galium verum
Bedstraw hawk-moth Hyles gallii	Vulnerable	any Galium
Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa	Near Threatened	any Galium
Dark-barred twin-spot carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata	Near Threatened	any Galium

Glaucus sedge Carex flacca 2

Least minor Photedes captiuncula	Endangered	Carex flacca
Rosy minor Litoligia literosa	Near Threatened	Carex flacca

Burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga 2

Grey pug Eupithecia subfuscata	Near Threatened	Pimpinella saxifraga
Swallowtail papilio Papilio machaon	Near Threatened	Pimpinella saxifraga

Salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba 2

Mouse moth Amphipyra tragopoginis	Vulnerable	Poterium sanguisorba
Grizzled skipper Pyrgus malvae	Vulnerable	Poterium sanguisorba

Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus 1

Wall Lasiommata megera

Near Threatened

Holcus lanatus

Fairy flax Linum catharticum 1

Straw belle Aspitates gilvaria

Endangered

Linum catharticum

Barren strawberry Potentilla sterilis 1

Grizzled skipper Pyrgus malvae

Vulnerable

Potentilla sterilis

Cowslip Primula veris 1

Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina

Endangered

Primula veris

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.