Duke of York Meadow

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 52.0162, -2.3190

Also within

Worcestershire County

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
SO782353 Favourable 2.06 2012-06-06

Description

Description Duke of York Meadow is an unimproved hay meadow near the eastern edge of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. It lies on neutral soils derived from the underlying Keuper Marl. It has been selected as an example of neutral grassland with a significant component of wild daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus in the sward. Grasses typical of hay meadows are present such as quaking grass Briza media, yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens and meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, along with characteristic herbs including devil’s bit scabious Succisa pratensis, pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus and green winged orchid Anacamptis morio. Also present is great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis, an uncommon plant in Worcestershire.

Species mentioned

English name
search for this in other sites
Latin name
search with Google
IUCN / Red List Type Family
meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis LC grass poaceae
quaking grass Briza media VU grass poaceae
yellow oat grass Trisetum flavescens LC grass poaceae
green-winged orchid Anacamptis morio NT herb orchidaceae
wild daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus LC herb amaryllidaceae
great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis LC herb rosaceae
pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus EN herb saxifragaceae
devils-bit scabious Succisa pratensis VU herb caprifoliaceae

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.

SpeciesStatusVia host-plant
Marsh fritillary
Euphydryas aurinia
Vulnerable Succisa pratensis

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.