Riverside House Meadow, Hasketon
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM244503 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 1.43 | 2014-08-05 |
Description
Description Riverside House Meadow is a floristically rich unimproved meadow. The number of such traditionally managed herb rich meadows has been greatly reduced in recent decades and remain under threat from changes in agricultural practice. The site supports a typically high number of grasses and herbs. The sward is dominated by meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, crested dog's tail Cynosurus cristatus and Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus. Eleven other grass species typical of unimproved meadows have been recorded, such as quaking grass Briza media and sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum. Fifty two plant species other than grasses have been recorded in the meadow including a large number of green winged orchid Anacamptis morio. Herbs characteristic of this community include common knapweed Centaurea nigra, meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis and pepper saxifrage Silaum silaus. The presence of meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria in patches indicates areas of poorer drainage and adds variety to the grassland. The meadow is on a gentle north facing slope and situated on slowly permeable neutral to calcareous soils. It is managed traditionally with a summer hay cut and the aftermath is sometimes grazed.
Species mentioned
Show the 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| meadow foxtail | Alopecurus pratensis | LC | grass | poaceae |
| sweet vernal grass | Anthoxanthum odoratum | LC | grass | poaceae |
| quaking grass | Briza media | VU | grass | poaceae |
| crested dog's tail | Cynosurus cristatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| Yorkshire fog | Holcus lanatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| green-winged orchid | Anacamptis morio | NT | herb | orchidaceae |
| black knapweed | Centaurea nigra | LC | herb | asteraceae |
| meadow sweet | Filipendula ulmaria | LC | herb | rosaceae |
| meadow vetchling | Lathyrus pratensis | LC | herb | fabaceae |
| pepper saxifrage | Silaum silaus | EN | herb | saxifragaceae |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Black-veined moth Siona lineata |
Critically Endangered | Centaurea nigra |
| New forest Zygaena viciae |
Critically Endangered | Lathyrus pratensis |
| Wood white Leptidea sinapis |
Endangered | Lathyrus pratensis |
| Scarce vapourer Orgyia recens |
Endangered | Filipendula ulmaria |
| Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata |
Vulnerable | Centaurea spp., Filipendula ulmaria |
| Latticed heath Chiasmia clathrata |
Near Threatened | Lathyrus pratensis |
| Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus |
Near Threatened | Cynosurus cristatus |
| Grey pug Eupithecia subfuscata |
Near Threatened | Centaurea spp. |
| Scarce forester Jordanita globulariae |
Near Threatened | Centaurea nigra |
| Wall Lasiommata megera |
Near Threatened | Holcus lanatus |
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.