Hurdlow Meadows

Also within

Derbyshire County PEAK DISTRICT National Park

Condition (Natural England)

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Carboniferous Limestone, Limestone

Description

Description Hurdlow Meadows is nationally important for species rich unimproved neutral grassland. The community comprises a dry neutral grassland type characterised by crested dog’s tail Cynosurus cristatus and common knapweed Centaurea nigra. General description Hurdlow Meadows SSSI supports the largest area of species rich unimproved hay meadow on the Carboniferous limestone plateau within the Peak District National Park. Within Derbyshire and the Peak District, as throughout the UK, there have been significant losses of unimproved hay meadows as a result of agricultural improvement. Hurdlow Meadows exists today because of its long history of low intensity meadow management. The site consists of a six adjoining fields, managed as one grazing unit. The fields lie on a slight southwest facing slope. Neutral grassland extends over the six fields, though the influence of the limestone bedrock is strong in the southernmost field and along the bank which runs along the eastern edge of the site. Locally, on the thinnest soils, transitions to more typical dales limestone grassland are evident with sheep’s fescue Festuca ovina, quaking grass Briza media, hoary plantain Plantago media and wild thyme Thymus polytrichus. The most extensive areas of neutral grassland are characterised by grasses such as crested dog’s tail, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum and common bent grass Agrostis capillaris. The herbs include common knapweed, meadow buttercup Ranunculus acris, yellow rattle Rhinanthus minor, ribwort plantain Plantago lanceolata, red clover Trifolium pratense, oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare and common bird’s foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus. Transitions to more calcareous neutral grassland occur, with this grassland type extensive in the southernmost field. The herb component here includes eyebright Euphrasia spp., lady’s bedstraw Galium verum and fairy flax Linum catharticum, with frequent spring sedge Carex caryophyllea and glaucous sedge Carex flacca. great burnet Sanguisorba officinalis is frequent across much of the site. This species is generally characteristic of damper neutral grassland, but does well in this community in late cut meadows in the Peak District and contributes to the local distinctiveness of the site.

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.