Botany visit to Leyburn Old Glebe and Ballowfield on Tuesday 21 May 2024

Moonwort – Botrychium lunaria

Nine excited botanists visited this lovely Dales Meadow on a very fair day ,which just got better and better. The meadow is packed with wild flowers and grasses, we were fortunate with the weather and spent the morning on this south facing bank in the sun, identifying plants. We admired the traditionally laid hedge and listened to the birdsong.

We went onto Ballowfield for a picnic lunch and then explored the site. There were plenty of pink Thrift, yellow Tormentil and yellow Rock Rose.

Leyburn Old Glebe is a 2.6 hectare traditionally managed sheep pasture. The unimproved grassland is species rich. We identified 4 orchids, Common Twayblade Neottia ovata, Early Purple Orchis mascula, Green winged Anacamptis morio and Common spotted Dactylorhiza fuchsii. We did not find the rarer Burnt tip Orchis ustulata.

Common Twayblade- Neottia ovata
Early purple orchid-Orchis mascula

Christine lead us in identifying several grasses including, Cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata, Meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, Sweet Venal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, False oat grass Arrhenathemm elatius, Quaking grass Briza media and Sheeps fescue Festuca ovina. We were shown how to look at the ligule of Rough meadow grass Poa trivialis and the importance of the awn, the hair at the top of the grass. She left us wanting to learn more about grasses.

There were discussions about the various types of Ladys mantle Alchemilla vulgaris, the abundant Cowslip Primula veris, and Rough chervil Chaerophylium temulum.

We went onto Ballowfield for lunch.

Ballowfield is part of Ox Close SSSI, it is polluted with lead from past lead mining.

We identified the lead tolerant plants Thrift Armeria martitima,Moonwort Botrychium lunaria, Pyrenean scurveygrass Cochlearia pyrenaica, Spring sandwort Minuartia verna and Alpine pennycress Thlaspi caerulescens.

Alpine pennycress- Noccaea caerulescen
Spring sandwort-Minuartia verna
Scurvygrass- Cochlearia pyrenaica

There were mini terraces of Rock rose Helianthemum nummularium. The ground was covered with yellow Tormentil Potentilla erecta and the leaves of Devils bit scabious Succisa pratensis the latter will make a great display soon.

We were particularly thrilled to find Moonwort as we meandered back to the cars. We had had a full day and the weather was fine.

Our next botany trip is Dowber Gill near Kettlewell on Tuesday 4 June, I do hope you can join us.

Rosemary Jackson