Shiplate Slait
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST361564 | — | Unfavourable No Change | 10.83 | 2010-11-01 |
| ST363568 | — | Favourable | 11.42 | 2009-08-19 |
| ST366565 | — | Unfavourable Declining | 5.41 | 2010-11-01 |
| ST368559 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 6.53 | 2014-01-14 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Carboniferous, Triassic · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Conglomerate, Dolomite, Limestone, Mudstone
Description
Area, 33.90 ha. 83.77 ac. Description Shiplate Slait lies towards the western end of the Mendips between 30 and 160 metres mainly on south and west facing slopes, but with north and east aspects. The site has unimproved calcicolous grassland, some of which is mixed with dwarf shrub, mosaics of calcicolous grassland and scrub and woodland. Four nationally rare types of vegetation form most of the grassland. At Shiplate the Mendips are underlain by Clifton Down Limestone, Burrington Oolite, Black Rock Dolomite and Black Rock Limestone of the Carboniferous Limestone Series. There is Dolomitic Conglomerate Triassic Mudstone at the lower edges of the site. Soils range from thin, immature soils derived by weathering of limestone rendzinas to more acid soils over the mudstone. The limestone soils are free to excessively draining and tend to become parched in summer, especially on the south facing slopes and knolls. Small rock outcrops are common. Localised variations in management and particularly climatic and edaphic factors have given rise to a range of grassland types. Steep, south facing slopes, with very shallow rendzina soils and bare rock outcrops, support the sheep’s Fescue/ Carline thistle Festuca ovina/ Carlina vulgaris type, in which the most frequent plants are wild thyme Thymus praecox, common rose Helianthemum nummularium, salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba and mouse ear hawkweed Pilosella officinarum. The open nature of the community, with much bare and loose soil, is a result of heavy grazing and scorching in summer. Somerset hair grass Koeleria vallesiana, a national rarity restricted to a few Mendip Hills and dwarf sedge Carex humilis, a nationally scarce plant, are part of this community. On flat and gently sloping areas thin, free draining soils support the sheep’s fescue/ mouse ear hawkweed/ wild thyme Festuca ovina/ Pilosella officinarum/ Thymus praecox grassland type in which these species form the bulk of cover in open and closed swards. The crested hair grass Koeleria macrantha sub community is present at Shiplate and other characteristic plants common here are fairy flax Linum catharticum, thyme leaved Sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia and the nationally scarce spring cinquefoil Potentilla tabernaemontani. There are mosaics of this community and gorse Ulex europaeus dominated heathy vegetation. Gorse tends to form dense stands, while heather Calluna vulgaris and bell heather Erica cinerea remain as small, prostrate plants within the grassland. The deeper soils support the sheep’s fescue/ meadow oat grass Festuca ovina/ Avenula pratensis community which forms a closed sward. Characteristic plants include quaking grass Briza media, glaucous sedge Carex flacca, crested hair grass, wild thyme and small scabious Scabiosa columbaria. This community is represented by two variants, one characterised by dwarf thistle Cirsium acaule and Squinancywort Asperula cynanchica and another with particularly high cover of dropwort Filipendula vulgaris, common rose and salad burnet. Tor grass Brachypodium pinnatum grassland occurs mainly on deeper, moister soil at the base of slopes and woodland edges. Tor grass often dominates and the small herbs common in other communities are rare in this rank grassland. Scrub forms a gradual transition between the grassland and woodland and includes hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, privet Ligustrum vulgare, wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana, traveller’s joy Clematis vitalba and black bryony Tamus communis. Vegetation around the scrub is not as heavily grazed as the open grassland and supports a taller community of plants such as common calamint Calamintha ascendens, marjoram Origanum vulgare, basil thyme Acinos arvensis, hairy St John’s wort Hypericum hirsutum and false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum. The woodland canopy is ash dominated with a discontinuous shrub layer of hawthorn, bramble Rubus sp., field maple Acer campestre and hazel Corylus avellina. The groundlayer is dominated by dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis and has stinking iris Iris foetidissima, spurge laurel Daphne laureola and bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta. Other habitats present are small stands of bracken Pteridium aquilinum on the mudstone and patches of common nettle Urtica dioica in a dry valley bottom.
Species mentioned
Show the 39 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusPlant communities
W20 — Montane scrub
Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub
Show 107 indicator speciesSalix 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 speciesHedera 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 speciesHedera 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
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