North Curry Meadow

Also within

Somerset County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Mesotrophic grassland

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Triassic

Description

Area, 1.3 ha. 3.1 ac. Description North Curry Meadow is a traditionally managed hay meadow which contains a rich variety of grasses and dicotyledonous herbs characteristic of ancient, semi natural lowland grassland. This type of habitat has been a particular focus of agricultural improvement during the last 50 years resulting in a marked reduction in its extent over this period. The site contains a population of the nationally scarce corky fruited water dropwort Oenanthe pimpinelloides, indicative of a particular type of mesotrophic grassland community which occurs locally in South West England. The soils here belong to the Worcester association and are derived from Permo Triassic reddish mudstones which gives rise to slowly permeable, non calcareous and calcareous clayey soils. The position of the site on a gently sloping rise above West Sedgemoor allows it to drain freely throughout the year. Grasses dominate the sward and include crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus, common bent Agrostis capillaris, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus and yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens. Dicotyledonous herbs account for a high proportion of cover and include abundant rough hawkbit Leontodon hispidus, common knapweed Centaurea nigra, yarrow Achillea millefolium, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor and frequent corky fruited water dropwort. Legumes form an important part of the community and include meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis, common bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus, tufted vetch Vicia cracca, white clover Trifolium repens and red clover Trifolium pratense. Other components include cowslip Primula veris, goat's beard Tragopogon pratensis, burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga and oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare. There is a large population of green winged orchids Anacamptis morio which is favoured by the late hay cut.

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.

Plant communities