DB Specific Record

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***SWAAG_ID***	813
Date Entered	05/07/2014
Updated on	06/07/2014
Recorded by	Tim Laurie
Category	Flower / Plant Record
Record Type	Botanical HER
SWAAG Site	Bellerby Moor
Site Access	Army Range
Record Date	24/06/2014
Location	Bellerby Moor. Park Gill and Black Beck Gill.
Civil Parish	Preston Under Scar
Brit. National Grid	SE 089 936
Altitude	310
Geology	Glacial hummocky drift over Namurian cherts and sandstones with calcareous, tufa and oncolite-forming springs. Black Beck Gill is an ice margin channel of considerable length.
Record Name	A return visit to Bellerby Moor.
Record Description	NOTE! Public Access to the Army Ranges on Bellerby Moor and other live firing areas of the Catterick and Feldom Ranges is only possible with express permission from the Range Officer. This record will introduce the rich flora which survives in the vicinity of Park Gill Beck and the tufa springs located on the Swale/Ure interfluve at the head of Park Gill Beck south of Black Beck Gill.The flora at these spring flushes was first noted by English Nature in 1993 during their 'major survey of areas of the North Pennines'. The nationally scarce and botanically rich tufa and oncolite-forming springs at the head of Park Beck and the presence of Stonewort (Chara sp) in Park Gill Beck were specifically noted during an archaeological walk-over survey carried out during the winter of 1992/3 by SWAAG Members in advance of the construction of a new Range, see a total of 18 earlier SWAAG Database Records (Search for Bellerby Moor). However the winter season was not suitable to record the flora and it was resolved to record the plants in flower at the first opportunity, hence this revisit.
Dimensions	See photos
Geographical area	Wensleydale
Species	Birdseye primrose. Marsh pimpernel. Least clubmoss.
Scientific Name	Primula farinosa. Anagallis tenella. Selaginella
Common / Notable Species	Colonies of a Stonewort (Chara sp) - provisionally identified as Chara aspera- were present intermittently throughout the length of Park Gill Beck above Park Gill. The water level was low and these colonies had in part dried out. The locally very rare Water Speedwell (Veronica anagallis-aquatica)was seen both at Park Gill and within Black Beck Gill. Large colonies of the scarce Flat Sedge (Blysmus compressus were seen intermittently throughout the whole length of Park Gill Beck above Park Gill and in Black Beck. Full list of plants to follow.
Additional Notes	During this visit a number of plants were recorded which are either locally scarce or have not been recently recorded in the most recent available Flora of Wensleydale (Reference: Deborah Millward 1988. A Flora of Wensleydale. The Yoredale Natural History Society). A full list of the plants seen during this visit has been prepared by Mrs Linda Robinson, BSBI Regional Recorder for North Yorkshire (Vice County 65) and Botanist to the Catterick and Feldom Ranges Conservation Group. This list will be made available to the Army Range Conservation Group at their next meeting in September.
Image 1 ID	5514 Click image to enlarge
Image 1 Description	Recording at the tufa springs. New Range visible in mid distance.
Image 2 ID	5515 Click image to enlarge
Image 2 Description	Tufa spring rise south of Black Beck, with oncolites.
Image 3 ID	5516 Click image to enlarge
Image 3 Description	Oncolites or concentrically laminated pebbles formed from the annual deposition of calcium carbonate during winter on the summer growth on colonies of blue-green bacteria in calcium rich spring water. Small stromatolite growths are also present but these, while formed in the same manner, are fixed to a stone base.
Image 4 ID	5517 Click image to enlarge
Image 4 Description	Birdseye Primrose with Butterwort, Least Clubmoss and several sedges grow in species rich vegetation at these tufa spring flushes.
Image 5 ID	5518 Click image to enlarge
Image 5 Description	Birdseye Primrose, Primula farinosa. Detail.
Image 6 ID	5520 Click image to enlarge
Image 6 Description	Birdseye Primrose, Primula farinosa.
Image 7 ID	5521 Click image to enlarge
Image 7 Description	Large areas with the (scarce to this area) Flat Sedge, Blysmus compressus were seen on both banks of Park beck below the springs.
Image 8 ID	5522 Click image to enlarge
Image 8 Description	Left to right: Flat sedge: Blysmus compressus. Yelow sedge: Carex demissa. Flea sedge: Carex pulicaris. Carex dioica female infl and C.dioica male infl.
Image 9 ID	5523 Click image to enlarge
Image 9 Description	The very small and rare Bog Rush, Schoenus nigricans.
Image 10 ID	5524 Click image to enlarge
Image 10 Description	A good crowd of Swaledale sheep being moved to lower pastures.
Image 11 ID	5525 Click image to enlarge
Image 11 Description	Clappa Bridge over Park Gill Beck
Image 12 ID	5526 Click image to enlarge
Image 12 Description	The stonewort, provisionally identified as Chara aspera in Park Gill Beck.
Image 13 ID	5527 Click image to enlarge
Image 13 Description	Chara aspera in Park Gill Beck.
Image 14 ID	5528 Click image to enlarge
Image 14 Description	Globular colonies of blue green algae on the rocks are coated with calcium carbonate.
Image 15 ID	5529 Click image to enlarge
Image 15 Description	Last and Least of the once great coal building tropical forest Lycopodia family. The 1 inch high fertile stems of Least Clubmoss, Selaginella selaginoides in turf at Park Gill Springs.
Image 16 ID	5530 Click image to enlarge
Image 16 Description	Marsh Pimpernel, Anagallis tenella. A locally abundant and often unseen beauty (but not recently recorded in Wensleydale).
Image 17 ID	5531 Click image to enlarge
Image 17 Description	Are lunch box contents not sacred! Not to this little shrew!
Image 18 ID	5532 Click image to enlarge
Image 18 Description	Shrew and one crumb.
Image 19 ID	5536 Click image to enlarge
Image 19 Description	Black Beck Gill. Species rich calcareous Springs rise above Black Beck.
Image 20 ID	5537 Click image to enlarge
Image 20 Description	Recording at Black Beck Springs
Image 21 ID	5538 Click image to enlarge
Image 21 Description	Marsh Pimpernel, Anagallis tenella.
Image 22 ID	5539 Click image to enlarge
Image 22 Description	Marsh Pimpernel, Anagallis tenella.
Image 23 ID	5540 Click image to enlarge
Image 23 Description	Ragged Robin. A reduced form of this favourite flower.
Image 24 ID	5541 Click image to enlarge
Image 24 Description	Ragged Robin with Flat Sedge (Blysmus)