Catton Lea Meadow
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY829572 | — | Favourable | 1.62 | 2022-07-06 |
Description
Description Catton Lea Meadow is a traditionally managed hay meadow situated on gently sloping, south west facing land in East Allendale. Due to modern intensive agricultural practices such herb rich meadows are now scarce. This meadow is particularly notable for the extensive populations of great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis, rough hawk’s beard Crepis biennis and, in damper areas, common bistort Polygonum bistorta which it supports. Associated species include pignut Conopodium majus, wood crane’s bill Geranium sylvaticum, lady’s mantle Alchemilla glabra, oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare, wood horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum and grasses such as sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, timothy Phleum pratense, crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus and false oat grass Arrhenatherum elatius.
Species mentioned
Show the 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sweet vernal grass | Anthoxanthum odoratum | LC | grass | poaceae |
| false oat grass | Arrhenatherum elatius | LC | grass | poaceae |
| crested dog's tail | Cynosurus cristatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| Yorkshire fog | Holcus lanatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| timothy | Phleum pratense | LC | grass | poaceae |
| lady's mantle | Alchemilla glabra | LC | herb | rosaceae |
| pignut | Conopodium majus | LC | herb | apiaceae |
| wood horsetail | Equisetum sylvaticum | NT | herb | equisetaceae |
| wood cranesbill | Geranium sylvaticum | LC | herb | geraniaceae |
| oxeye daisy | Leucanthemum vulgare | LC | herb | asteraceae |
| bistort | Polygonum bistorta | Not listed in GB list | herb | polygonaceae |
| great burnet | Sanguisorba officinalis | LC | herb | rosaceae |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus |
Near Threatened | Cynosurus cristatus |
| Wall Lasiommata megera |
Near Threatened | Holcus lanatus |
| Rosy minor Litoligia literosa |
Near Threatened | Arrhenatherum elatius |
| Red carpet Xanthorhoe decoloraria |
Near Threatened | Alchemilla 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.