Acaster South Ings

Also within

North Yorkshire County

Condition (Natural England)

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Description Acaster South Ings consist of two large alluvial flood meadows adjacent to the River Ouse, near Acaster Malbis and approximately four miles to the south of the City of York. These grasslands represent an increasingly rare habitat type which is threatened nationally as a result of drainage and agricultural improvement and are of particular importance for their neutral grassland flora. The grassland is rich in plant species with great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis being notably abundant, together with grasses such as red fescue Festuca rubra, crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus, Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis and creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera. Other herb species which occur frequently throughout the sward include meadow buttercup Ranunculus acris, ribwort plantain Plantago lanceolata, meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, common knapweed Centaurea nigra, red clover Trifolium pratense, common sorrel Rumex acetosa, oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare and common bird’s foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus. Species such as pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus, common meadow rue Thalictrum flavum and common bistort Polygonum bistorta which are of more local distribution, also occur, the latter forming distinct stands throughout the grassland. On drier raised ground, adjacent to the river bank footpath, a number of species of interest occur which are not found within the main flood meadow. These include clustered bellflower Campanula glomerata, field mouse ear Cerastium arvense and meadow crane’s bill Geranium pratense. The river margin consists of a mosaic of tall herbs such as great willowherb Epilobium hirsutum, reed canary grass Phalaris arundinacea, mugwort Artemisia vulgaris, butterbur Petasites hybridus tansy Tanacetum vulgare and scattered shrubs including hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and osier Salix viminalis. Two rare leaf feeding beetles Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae; Chrysolina graminis and Aphthona nigriceps, are associated with tansy and meadow crane’s bill respectively. The South Ings also provides one of few suitable breeding areas for waders in the Ouse valley, south of York and is used regularly by curlew. Maintenance of the nature conservation interest is dependent on the continuation of traditional management for hay cropping followed by aftermath grazing.

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