Mappp.co - Mill Holme Meadow, Thwaite

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North Yorkshire County YORKSHIRE DALES National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Unfavourable No Change (1)

Unit	Feature	Condition	Area (ha)	Assessed
SD897980	—	Unfavourable No Change	0.59	2021-08-05

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Coastal

Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Coastal

Description

Area, 0.615 hectares 1.52 ac Description This traditionally managed Swaledale meadow is an important example of a grassland type restricted to Northern England. Dominant grass species in the sward include cock's foot Dactylis glomerata, common bent Agrostis capillaris, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, false oat grass Arrhenatherum elatius and rough stalked meadow grass Poa trivialis. The abundance of wood cranesbill Geranium sylvaticum and two species of lady's mantle Alchemilla glabra, Alchemilla xanthochlora is a particularly notable feature. Other commonly occurring herbs include rough hawkbit Leontodon hispidus, pignut Conopodium majus and common sorrel Rumex acetosa. The meadow is bordered to the south by Cliff Beck and to the north by mixed woodland, primarily composed of sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus and ash Fraxinus excelsior.

Species mentioned

Show the 13 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status

English name search for this in other sites	Latin name search with Google	IUCN / Red List	Type	Family
common bent	Agrostis capillaris	LC	grass	poaceae
sweet vernal grass	Anthoxanthum odoratum	LC	grass	poaceae
false oat grass	Arrhenatherum elatius	LC	grass	poaceae
cock's foot	Dactylis glomerata	LC	grass	poaceae
rough meadow grass	Poa trivialis	LC	grass	poaceae
lady's mantle	Alchemilla glabra	LC	herb	rosaceae
lady's mantle	Alchemilla xanthochlora	VU	herb	rosaceae
pignut	Conopodium majus	LC	herb	apiaceae
wood cranesbill	Geranium sylvaticum	LC	herb	geraniaceae
rough hawkbit	Leontodon hispidus	LC	herb	asteraceae
common sorrel	Rumex acetosa	LC	herb	polygonaceae
sycamore	Acer pseudoplatanus	Not listed in GB list	tree	aceraceae
ash	Fraxinus excelsior	LC	tree	oleaceae

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.

Species	Status	Via host-plant
Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens	Endangered	Rumex acetosa
Fiery clearwing Pyropteron chrysidiformis	Endangered	Rumex acetosa
The sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx	Vulnerable	Fraxinus excelsior
Broom moth Ceramica pisi	Vulnerable	Rumex spp.
Mottled umber Erannis defoliaria	Vulnerable	Acer pseudoplatanus
Garden dart Euxoa nigricans	Vulnerable	Rumex spp.
Pale brindled Phigalia pilosaria	Vulnerable	Fraxinus excelsior
Beaded chestnut Agrochola lychnidis	Near Threatened	Rumex spp.
Grey chi Antitype chi	Near Threatened	Rumex spp.
Large nutmeg Apamea anceps	Near Threatened	Dactylis glomerata
Garden tiger Arctia caja	Near Threatened	Rumex spp.
The sallow Cirrhia icteritia	Near Threatened	Rumex spp.
Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus	Near Threatened	Agrostis spp., Poa spp.
Large thorn Ennomos autumnaria	Near Threatened	Acer pseudoplatanus
Dusky thorn Ennomos fuscantaria	Near Threatened	Fraxinus excelsior
Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa	Near Threatened	Rumex spp.
Wall Lasiommata megera	Near Threatened	Agrostis spp., Dactylis glomerata
Rosy minor Litoligia literosa	Near Threatened	Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata
Red carpet Xanthorhoe decoloraria	Near Threatened	Alchemilla spp.
Dark-barred twin-spot carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata	Near Threatened	Rumex spp.

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.