Ferry Hills
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Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Carboniferous - Permian Igneous | Unfavourable Declining | — | 2017-03-15 |
| F2 | Lowland calcareous grassland | Unfavourable Declining | — | 2010-01-29 |
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Carboniferous · Rock Type: Basalt
Landscape processes: Volcanic / Igneous
Description
FERRY HILLS The extensive road cuttings along the A90, north of the Forth Road Bridge provide by far the best and most comprehensive fresh exposures of the Late Carboniferous age Midland Valley Sill-complex which underlies much of the central Midland Valley of Scotland. Features demonstrated include detailed variations in the rock type, contact phenomena between the once-molten sill rock and the strata it intrudes and veins of very different composition from the main sill rock formed from the last portion of the magma to remain liquid. The Ferry Hills grasslands occupy a small hill top location immediately north of North Queensferry. The site supports areas of species-rich, unimproved calcicolous grassland on thin soils overlying moderately base-rich igneous basalt rocks. This habitat is scarce and declining in Fife. Herb rich calcicolous grassland occupies the thinner soils on this site. The turf is typically dominated by red fescue Festuca rubra, common and velvet bents Agrostis canina and A.capillaris and to a lesser extent by Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus and sweet vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum. Frequent herbs of the short sward include thyme Thymus praecox, lady’s bedstraw Galium verum, harebell Campanula rotundifolia, common restharrow Ononis repens and the locally rare dropwort Filipendula vulgaris.
Species mentioned
Show the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| velvet bent | Agrostis canina | LC | grass | poaceae |
| sweet vernal grass | Anthoxanthum odoratum | LC | grass | poaceae |
| red fescue | Festuca rubra | LC | grass | poaceae |
| Yorkshire fog | Holcus lanatus | LC | grass | poaceae |
| harebell | Campanula rotundifolia | LC | herb | campanulaceae |
| dropwort | Filipendula vulgaris | LC | herb | rosaceae |
| lady's bedstraw | Galium verum | LC | herb | rubiaceae |
| common rest-harrow | Ononis repens | VU | herb | fabaceae |
| creeping thyme | Thymus praecox | Not listed in GB list | herb | lamiaceae |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Satyr pug Eupithecia satyrata |
Vulnerable | Galium spp. |
| White-line dart Euxoa tritici |
Vulnerable | Galium verum |
| Grayling Hipparchia semele |
Vulnerable | Festuca rubra |
| Bedstraw hawk-moth Hyles gallii |
Vulnerable | Galium spp. |
| Silver studded blue Plebejus argus |
Vulnerable | Ononis spp. |
| Rest harrow Aplasta ononaria |
Near Threatened | Ononis repens |
| Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus |
Near Threatened | Agrostis spp., Festuca spp. |
| Autumnal rustic Eugnorisma glareosa |
Near Threatened | Galium spp. |
| Wall Lasiommata megera |
Near Threatened | Agrostis spp., Holcus lanatus |
| Dark-barred twin-spot carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata |
Near Threatened | Galium 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.