Chrome and Parkhouse Hills

Also within

Derbyshire County PEAK DISTRICT National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Limestone

Description

Area, 29.8 ha. 73.6 ac. Description Chrome and Parkhouse Hills lie to the north of the River Dove on the Derbyshire–Staffordshire Border some three kilometres 2 miles north west of Longnor. Their distinctive and unusual shapes are the result of erosion of massive reef limestones laid down in the Carboniferous Period. These are surrounded by blue grey shales of Upper Carboniferous age making up the lower slopes of the hills. Soils are mainly shallow, well drained loams which grade through very shallow organic soils to bare rock on the hill tops. The site is important for its limestone flora including the distinctive communities on the ungrazed rock ledges and steeper slopes. Acidic grassland communities are found on the deeper soils. The short, species rich limestone turf is dominated by sheep’s fescue Festuca ovina and meadow oat grass Avenula pratensis with typical calcicole lime loving plants including wild thyme Thymus praecox, mouse ear hawkweed Pilosella officinarum, salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, musk thistle Carduus nutans and common rock rose Helianthemum nummularium. The rock ledges which are not accessible to grazing animals, support a different community, including several nationally scarce species. On the southerly ledges and rock outcrops are found species such as limestone bedstraw Galium sterneri, wall whitlowgrass Draba muralis, hoary whitlowgrass D. incana, kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, orpine Sedum telephium and the hawkweed Hieracium britannicum which is restricted to the Peak District. North facing ledges tend to be richer in ferns and tall herbs, with occasional stunted and wind cut hazel Corylus avellana. Ferns include limestone polypody Gymnocarpium robertianum, brittle bladder fern Cystopteris fragilis and maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes. The nationally rare Jacob’s ladder Polemonium caeruleum has its stronghold in the Peak District and grows in profusion in one area. Within the site deeper pockets of acid soils occur with a corresponding and contrasting calcifuge lime hating flora with species such as heath bedstraw Galium saxatile, tormentil Potentilla erecta and some more local species, such as moonwort Botrychium lunaria.

Species mentioned

Plant communities