Gotham Hill Pasture

Also within

Nottinghamshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Jurassic, Triassic · Rock Type: Limestone, Shale

Description

Area,8.56 hectares Description The site comprises one of the best mixed pastures and associated grassland in Nottinghamshire and is representative of species rich grassland developed on calcareous and neutral clays in Central and Eastern England. Biology A fine example of species rich pasture developed on the south east facing slope of a ridge formed of a succession of limestones, shales and clays of Upper Triassic and Lower Triassic Jurassic age. The character of the sward changes with soil type and slope and examples of both calcareous and neutral grassland are present. The basic sward components over the majority of the site comprise crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus, creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, cock's foot Dactylis glomerata and perennial rye grass Lolium perenne, in a community which contains such characteristic herbs as sorrel Rumex acetosa, musk thistle Carduus nutans, harebell Campanula rotundifolia and bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus. Locally, on areas of bare shale, the small flowered buttercup Ranunculus parviflorus is established. On soils which have a limestone or gypsum component the sward character changes with tor grass Brachypodium pinnatum becoming dominant in a plant community which includes salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, dwarf thistle Cirsium acaule, burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga and thyme Thymus polytrichus. A similar sward occurs in the south east of the site on an area of gypsum spoil where the plant community contains an abundance of wild carrot Daucus carota, fairy flax Linum catharticum, greater knapweed Centaurea scabiosa and rest-harrow Ononis repens.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.