Prince's Rough

Also within

Shropshire County Shropshire Hills Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Description

Description Prince’s Rough is a traditionally managed herb rich hay meadow situated on the dip slope of Wenlock Edge close to the hamlet of Westhope in South Shropshire. The meadow lies on gently sloping ground, with a south easterly aspect and overlies Wenlock Limestones and the grey silty mudstones of the Wenlock Shales which give rise to predominantly neutral soils with both calcareous and acidic influences. The meadow is of special interest for a type of herb rich neutral grassland, characterised by crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus and common knapweed Centaurea nigra which is now very scarce in Shropshire and which is nationally restricted and declining. There has been considerable loss of unimproved grassland in South Shropshire and especially on Wenlock Edge where herb rich grasslands have almost all been destroyed. Prince’s Rough is one of the most species diverse of the few remaining neutral grasslands in this part of Shropshire. The meadow is also notable for the occurrence of three different sub communities for this type of neutral grassland within, a relatively small area, a feature which is indicative of the local variations in geology and soil conditions. The meadow contains a wide variety of grasses, the most abundant being crested dog’s tail, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, common bent Agrostis capillaris, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, quaking grass Briza media and red fescue Festuca rubra. A varied herbaceous flora includes species which are characteristic of traditionally managed hay meadows such as common knapweed, betony Betonica officinalis, autumn hawkbit Scorzoneroides autumnalis, cat’s ear Hypochaeris radicata with, more locally, meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis, cowslip Primula veris and yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor. The flora of much of the meadow is typical of the meadow vetchling sub community with frequent bird’s foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, meadow vetchling and field scabious Knautia arvensis. Locally, the abundance of lady’s bedstraw Galium verum, yarrow Achillea millefolium, yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens and glaucous sedge Carex flacca, however, is indicative of a change to the lady’s bedstraw sub community of this type of neutral grassland reflecting a stronger calcareous influence. There are also parts of the meadow which have a more acidic appearance and conform to the heath grass Danthonia decumbens sub community reflecting further changes in the nutrient status of the soil. In these areas species such as heath grass, devil’s bit scabious Succisa pratensis, tormentil Potentilla erecta burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga and spring sedge Carex caryophyllea form significant elements of the vegetation. The presence of a wet area associated with a redundant ditch and a small seasonal pool at the southern end of the meadow add to the overall diversity of the flora. Here the sward is characterised by tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa, meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, hard rush Juncus inflexus, compact rush Juncus conglomeratus var. conglomeratus and false fox sedge Carex otrubae. The meadow supports a number of species which are either uncommon or rare in Shropshire, such as dyer’s greenweed Genista tinctoria, hoary plantain Plantago media, heath spotted orchid Dactylorhiza maculata, early purple orchid Orchis mascula and pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus. Large mature hedgerows border part of the site with one lying within the meadow, formerly separating the meadow into two fields. These hedgerows are species rich with a mixture of hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, blackthorn Prunus spinosa, hazel Corylus avellana, dog rose Rosa canina, ash Fraxinus excelsior and pedunculate oak Quercus petraea.

Species mentioned