Bishop Wilton Deep Dale

Also within

East Riding of Yorkshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Chalk

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

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 Brachyopodium 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