Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Location | North Yorkshire |
---|---|
Grid reference | SE338604 |
Coordinates | 54°02′18″N1°29′07″W / 54.0384°N 1.4853°W |
Interest | Biological |
Area | 10.3341 hectares (0.1033 km2; 0.03990 sq mi) |
Notification | 1954 Revised 13 January 1984 |
Location map | Magic Map (Defra) |
Farnham Mires is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, to the east of the village of Farnham, North Yorkshire, England. It consists of a spring-fed marshy fen or mire with reeds and sedge, and drier calcareous grassland containing a diverse range of flora. It has a history of poaching and fox hunting, but since the late 19th century, the attention of botanists has been drawn to its large variety of flowering plants. It has received some consideration on this account since 1944, and from 1954 it was designated SSSI status. This site has no facilities, and is not open to the public.
In 1856, James Frankland, Thomas Jackson and James Kendrew were sentenced to three, six and four months imprisonment with hard labour, respectively, for poaching at Farnham Mires and for beating those who tried to apprehend them. [nb 1] [1] In the 19th century, Farnham Mires was located in fox hunting country, it being close to Scriven Park. The York and Ainsty Hunt used to find foxes there. [2]
However, by the end of the 19th century, attention was turning to the botanical value of the site. It drew the attention of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union (YNU), who included it in their botanical and zoological excursions of 1885 and 1894. [3] [4] During the 1885 excursion the Reverend Robert Elmhirst, vicar of Farnham and Brearton, [nb 2] [5] [6] presented "a large number of the rarest botanical specimens, which are found on Farnham Mires" to the botanical section of the YNU. [3]
Oenanthe lachenalii or water dropwort, Samolus valerandi or water pimpernel, Euphrasia nemorosa or eyebright, blunt-flowered rush, fen pondweed, Eriophorum latifolium or cotton grass and black sedge, were found on the site in 1943-1944. "In 1944, Farnham Mires were scheduled for reclamation and cultivation, but an approach was made to the appropriate agricultural committee and to the Wild Plant Conservation Board, and the reclamation plans were cancelled." [7] [8]
Farnham Mires Local Wildlife Site is a 10.3341 hectares (0.1033 km2; 0.03990 sq mi) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), featuring a "spring-fed marsh" and drier calcareous grassland over Magnesian Limestone. Some original biodiversity, especially of flora, remains in the southern section of the site, but agricultural improvement has compromised natural flora in the northern section. [9] The site is not open to the public, and has no facilities. It is situated to the west of Farnham, North Yorkshire, on the north side of Low Moor Lane. [10]
The SSSI was first notified in 1954, the notification being revised on 13 January 1984, because it retains "the original grassland and marsh communities of Farnham Mires." That is, it features calcareous grassland with underlying Magnesian Limestone, allowing some rare species of flora to grow in the topsoil, along with some local species. This is valued even though the flora in northern part of the site has been compromised by agricultural improvement. It is also designated a Local Wildlife Site. [11] This site is "one of a very few remaining sedge and rush dominated marshland communities in the Vale of York," the others being Upper Dunsforth and Kirkby Wharfe SSSIs. [12]
Note: unless otherwise stated, the photographs in this section are for illustrative purposes only, and were not taken at the Farnham Mires site.
In 1943, the site was visited by botanists George Taylor and E.C. Wallace. They saw the place "thickly carpeted" with cowslip and hairy violet, and "at the climax of the flowering season there [was] a truly magnificent array of fragrant orchids and spotted orchids." The following is a list of the "more interesting" plants which they saw in 1943: salad burnet, parsley water dropwort, pepper saxifrage, guelder rose, hemp-agrimony, hoary ragwort, bird's-eye primrose, brookweed, butterwort, common centaury, common gromwell, Rhinanthus stenophyllus or yellow rattle, Potamogeton densus or pondweed, twayblade, green-winged orchid, early purple orchid, heath spotted orchid, bee orchid, fragrant orchid, autumn crocus or meadow saffron, blunt-flowered rush, black bog-rush, sedge Blysmus compressus , bristle club-rush, sedge Eriophorum latifolium , hairy sedge, distant sedge, sedge Carex fulva , sedge Carex lepidocarpa , glaucous sedge, carnation sedge, sedge Carex caryophyllea , brown sedge, flea sedge, heath false-brome, erect brome and adder's tongue. [8]
As of 1984, the marsh area mostly contained common reed, Juncus inflexus or hard rush, and blunt-flowered rush, along with great willowherb, purple loosestrife and meadowsweet. Where there was more groundwater, there was a "carpet of bryophytes", besides Carex lepidocarpa or long-stalk yellow sedge, carnation sedge, Valeriana dioica or marsh valerian and marsh arrowgrass, all of which grew among the more numerous lesser hairy-willowherb, marsh pennywort and marsh horsetail. [9]
Around the marsh is grassland on neutral soil. On this grows twayblade, common spotted orchid, common agrimony, pepper saxifrage and knapweed, with other herbs. [9]
There is also an area of "species-rich calcareous grassland" which is not waterlogged, and which has patches of buckthorn and hawthorn. This area is maintained with light grazing, to encourage grasses, sedges and diverse herbs. The grasses are purple moor-grass, heath grass, quaking grass and hairy oat. The sedges include glaucous sedge in particular. There are plenty of orchids: bee orchid and fragrant orchid. The herbs include adder’s-tongue fern, cowslip, hoary plantain, yellow rattle and betony. [9]
The special wetland plants noted in Natural England's citation for the SSSI are: Oenanthe lachenalii or parsley water dropwort, brookweed and bog pimpernel. The drier-land plants of note are felwort or autumn gentian, and bird’s-eye primrose. [9]
This SSSI was not designated as such for its fauna, the only mention on Natural England's assessment documents being possible rabbit nuisance in 2015. However on 9 March 1970, 60,000 starlings were reported in a hawthorn thicket on the site. [nb 3] [13] A Bradford University student thesis lists five undated historical reports of the red fox at the site, [14] and A History of the Bramham Hunt (1898) gives an instance of finding foxes there. [15]
When Taylor and Wallace visited the site in 1943, they noticed a "rich insect fauna," and Taylor reported that in view of that virtue, together with the variety of flora then present, "it would seem that the area has a strong claim for consideration in any scheme for the creation of nature reserves." [8]
This is a flush and spring fen, which has to be maintained as such, to ensure continued biodiversity. This is because the minerals in the groundwater seepage at this mire support, for example, rush, sedge, liverwort and moss. Therefore the underground aquifers should not be compromised by commercial water extraction, nor should they be contaminated by heavy use of agricultural fertilisers or by industrial pollution. A little fertiliser can be used, but downhill of the springs. Light grazing should be employed to keep the springs clear, and the grasses short. [16]
The calcareous grassland potentially supports a large diversity of plants, but only if maintained to prevent it being overgrown with rank grasses and scrub. Light winter grazing is recommended, to promote vegetation of varying height, and that in turn will support invertebrates and other wildlife. Pesticides are discouraged to protect the diverse plant life here, but fertilisers are also discouraged because the protected plants require the naturally poor soil conditions of the calcareous grassland. [16]
When the site was assessed in 2015, the 8.366 hectares (0.0837 km2; 0.0323 sq mi) of lowland calcareous grassland was judged to be in favourable condition, but under medium threat risk. In the same year, the 1.9681 hectares (0.01968 km2; 0.007599 sq mi) of lowland fen, marsh and swamp (the mire) was judged to be in unfavourable condition and recovering, but to be under a high threat risk. [17] Regarding the grassland, the assessment notes show that the year's growth had been "eaten off," there was rabbit damage, and rushes were becoming overgrown. Some scrub management was needed. The cattle grazing in the mire area had maintained it as recommended, opening up the vegetation for growth of a variety of species. The scrub nearest to the road needed more control, but otherwise the mire was recovering at that time. [18]
Regarding the proximity of Farnham Mires to nearby sites being considered in 2016 for sand and gravel extraction, the local councils' Minerals and Waste Joint Plan of that year recommended that checks should be made, of potential dust and air impact on this and other local SSSIs. [19] In 2018 an application to the Environment Agency regarding the development of a poultry or pig unit was accepted for a site within 5,000 metres of Farnham Mires. The assessment for potential emissions of ammonia concluded that the risk was acceptably safe for this SSSI site. [20] There is also a concern that a balance has to be kept between national plans for water management for flora and fauna conservation, plans for commercial use of water and for flood management, and plans for available funds. [21]
Other nearby SSSIs are: [22] Bishop Monkton Ings, [23] Cow Myers, [24] Hack Fall Wood, [25] Hay-a-Park, [26] Kirk Deighton [27] Mar Field Fen, [28] Quarry Moor [29] and Ripon Parks. [30]
Brimham Rocks, once known as Brimham Crags, is a 183.9-hectare (454-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Geological Conservation Review (GCR) site, 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, on Brimham Moor in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The site, notified as SSSI in 1958, is an outcrop of Millstone Grit, with small areas of birch woodland and a large area of wet and dry heath.
South Milton Ley is a 162,000 square metres wetland in the South Hams, Devon, England. It was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1976. Part of the site is managed as a nature reserve by the Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society.
Yanal Bog is a 1.6 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the southern edge of the North Somerset Levels, just north of the village of Sandford, North Somerset. It was notified as an SSSI in 1988.
Lambert's Castle is an Iron Age hillfort in the county of Dorset in southwest England. Since 1981 it has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on account of its geology, archaeology and ecology. The hillfort is designated a scheduled monument together with a bowl barrow, the sites of a post-medieval fair and a telegraph station. The site was on the Heritage at Risk Register but was removed in 2022 as a result of the Hillforts and Habitats Project.
Acaster South Ings is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, near York, England. It consists of two alluvial flood-meadows, and was designated in 1988 because it supports diverse fauna and flora, some of which is rare in the Vale of York area. One of the rarities is the tansy beetle, which feeds on the leaves of the tansy plant.
The Bottoms is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham, England. It lies just south of the A181 road, roughly midway between the villages of Cassop and Wheatley Hill, some 10 km south-east of Durham city.
Lye Valley is a 2.3-hectare (5.7-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Headington, a suburb of Oxford in Oxfordshire. It is part of the 4.5-hectare (11-acre) Lye Valley Local Nature Reserve, which is owned and managed by Oxford City Council.
Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fens are a 21.3-hectare (53-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Blo' Norton Fen is in the parish of Blo' Norton in Norfolk and Thelnetham Fen is in Thelnetham parish in Suffolk. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2, and part of the Waveney and Little Ouse Valley Fens Special Area of Conservation, Thelnetham Fen is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Blo' Norton Fen by the Little Ouse Headwaters Project (LOHP).
Hay-a-Park Gravel Pit is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, adjacent to the east side of the town of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England. Having been a disused and flooded quarry since the 1970s, it now consists of the large Hay-a-Park Lake and three smaller ponds, besides associated reedbeds, scrub, woodland and grassland. It was designated as a SSSI in 1995 because it supports a number of wintering birds, including a large flock of goosander. This site is "one of the most northerly inland breeding populations of reed warbler in Britain." Hay-a-Park was once part of a royal park, an early landowner being Edward II.
Quarry Moor is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, at the south edge of Ripon, North Yorkshire, England, and adjacent to the A61 road. It contains an outcrop of Magnesian Limestone, exposed by former quarrying. 255 million years ago this limestone was the peripheral sediment of a tropical sea. The land was donated in 1945 to the people of Ripon by the town's mayor, Alderman Thomas Fowler Spence, a varnish manufacturer. The land was notified as an SSSI in 1986 because its calcareous grassland supported a large diversity of plant species. The site features a Schedule 8 protected plant, thistle broomrape. The land is protected as a nature reserve, and it is also managed as a recreational area. Therefore, its calcareous grass area is fenced off for protection and study, but it also contains a car park, information signs, a children's play area, accessible paths, benches, and dog waste bins.
Orobanche reticulata is a species of broomrape known by the common name thistle broomrape. It is a parasitic plant whose host is normally the creeping thistle. It is native to the lowlands of Western Europe and Central Asia, but in the United Kingdom it is a rare and protected plant, growing only in Yorkshire, on grassland sites such as Quarry Moor.
Cow Myers is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) located in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), near Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. The site was designated in 1984 for its fen and alder carr habitat, which supports a diversity of wetland plant life. Of particular interest are the bird's eye primrose which is scarce in Yorkshire, and early marsh orchid. There is no public access to this site, no vehicular access, and no public facilities.
Bishop Monkton Ings is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, situated east of Bishop Monkton village in North Yorkshire, England. It consists mostly of marshy, calcareous grassland, with some broadleaved woodland, and some fen alongside the two watercourses which run through the site. This varied wetland forms a habitat for a variety of plants, including the semi-parasitic marsh lousewort (Pedicularis palustris).
Mar Field Fen is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, north of Masham, North Yorkshire, England, in a rural area known as Marfield. It is situated on land containing woodland carr, fen, spring-fed marshy grassland and drier calcareous grassland, between the River Ure to the east and Marfield Wetland nature reserve to the west. As "one of the best examples of fen habitat in the Vale of York," it is a protected habitat for a variety of plants, including the common butterwort, a carnivorous plant. There is no public access to this site.
Hack Fall Wood, otherwise known as Hackfall, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, of 44.8687 hectares, lying north-east of the village of Grewelthorpe, North Yorkshire, England. During the 18th century it was landscaped in the picturesque style by landowner William Aislabie, who created views by engineering streams and pools, planting trees and building follies. J. M. W. Turner and William Sawrey Gilpin painted it, and pictures of it featured on Catherine the Great's 1773 Wedgwood dinner service. Some 19th century writers called it "one of the most beautiful woods in the country."
Ripon Parks is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI, situated north of Ripon, to the west of the River Ure and to the east of the village of North Stainley, in North Yorkshire, England. It was once part of the land held since the Middle Ages as a deer park by the archbishops of York and the canons of Ripon. The site was designated as an SSSI in 1983, because its varied habitats are valued for their breeding birds, amphibians and varied flora. The woods here are "of note" for the parasitic flowers of common toothwort and yellow star-of-Bethlehem. A small part of the site is accessible via public footpaths; there are no public facilities or dedicated car parks. The site incorporates the High Batts Nature Reserve, which is privately run for training, recording and educational purposes, and accessible to members only, except for its annual open day. Ripon Parks is now owned by the Ministry of Defence, and parts of the site are used as military training areas.
Hatherton Flush is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by the River Weaver in Hatherton, near Wybunbury, Cheshire, England. It is protected for its variety of wetland plants. Species found at the site include the locally rare plants marsh helleborine, marsh lousewort and tubular water dropwort. Hatherton Flush is the largest example of this kind of flush in the county. The site was assessed as being in an "unfavourable"/"recovering" condition in 2008.
Kirk Deighton SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Alton's Field, Kirk Deighton, North Yorkshire, England. This site has been recognised as having one of the largest known breeding populations of great crested newts in the United Kingdom. It is a Special Area of Conservation, and is listed for protection under a number of directives. This ordinary-looking grassland field, with a couple of ponds in it, is ideal habitat for the newts, which use the grassland for foraging, the ponds for breeding, and surrounding walls, hedges and woodpiles for hibernation. The site is not accessible to the public, and it is not permissible to survey the ponds without a licence.
Stonesfield Common, Bottoms and Banks is a 27.45-hectare (67.8-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) south of Stonesfield in Oxfordshire.
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