Park Hall Meadows, Healaugh

Also within

North Yorkshire County YORKSHIRE DALES National Park Coast to Coast National Trail

Condition (Natural England)

Description

Description The traditionally managed hay meadows at Park Hall, Healaugh exhibit a mosaic of two distinct grassland types reflecting the underlying variability in soil conditions and topography. The dry neutral type consists of a number of grass species including sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus and downy oat grass Avenula pubescens, with associated herbs including rough hawkbit Leontodon hispidus, pignut Conopodium majus and bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus. The second type, which is characteristic of more acidic soil conditions is dominated by common bent Agrostis capillaris, red fescue Festuca rubra together with sweet vernal grass and herbs such as yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor and meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis. In addition, herb species including wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, bitter vetch Lathyrus montanus, bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, betony Betonica officinalis, tormentil Potentilla erecta and heath bedstraw Galium saxatile occur on a sloping bank in the northern most field.

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.