May Hill
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SO694213 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 32.53 | 2024-03-15 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Silurian
Description
Description The acidic grassland and heath vegetation represented on this site overlies Silurian sandstones. It is not found elsewhere in the county. The grassland is largely composed of common bent Agrostis capillaris, sheep’s fescue Festuca ovina and Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus with dense stands of gorse Ulex gallii and U. europaea and bracken Pteridium aquilinum which covers a large proportion of the site. A small amount of bell heather Erica cinerea and ling Calluna vulgaris is also present. Several wet flushes give rise to acidic marshy grassland habitat dominated by soft rush Juncus effusus and jointed rush J. articulatus. The site is grazed by cattle or sheep and measures are being taken to control the spread of gorse and bracken.
Species mentioned
Show the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bracken | Pteridium aquilinum | LC | fern | dennstaedtiaceae |
| common bent | Agrostis capillaris | LC | grass | poaceae |
| sheep's fescue | Festuca ovina | LC | grass | poaceae |
| Yorkshire fog | Holcus lanatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| soft rush | Juncus effusus | LC | rush | juncaceae |
| western gorse | Ulex gallii | LC | shrub | leguminosae |
| bell heather or ling | Calluna vulgaris | NT | shrub dwarf | ericaceae |
| bell heather | Erica cinerea | NT | shrub dwarf | ericaceae |
Plant communities
W25 — Bracken scrub
Pteridium aquilinum-Rubus fruticosus underscrub
Show 53 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Sambucus nigra, Ulex europaeus, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Luzula multiflora, Mnium hornum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Angelica sylvestris, Conopodium majus, Heracleum sphondylium, Arum maculatum, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Silene dioica, Stellaria holostea, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Glechoma hederacea, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Chamerion angustifolium, Circaea lutetiana, Digitalis purpurea, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ficaria verna, Potentilla erecta, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Galium mollugo sens.lat., Galium saxatile, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas