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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 Name | |
| Site Type | |
| Site Name | |
| Site Description | |
| 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. |
| Tree and / or Stem Girth | |
| Tree: Position / Form / Status | |
| Tree Site ID | 0 |
| Associated Site SWAAG ID | 0 |
| 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 |
| Image 11 Description | Clappa Bridge over Park Gill Beck |  |
| Image 12 ID | 5526 |
| Image 12 Description | The stonewort, provisionally identified as Chara aspera in Park Gill Beck. |  |
| Image 13 ID | 5527 |
| Image 13 Description | Chara aspera in Park Gill Beck. |  |
| Image 14 ID | 5528 |
| Image 14 Description | Globular colonies of blue green algae on the rocks are coated with calcium carbonate. |  |
| Image 15 ID | 5529 |
| 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 |
| Image 16 Description | Marsh Pimpernel, Anagallis tenella. A locally abundant and often unseen beauty (but not recently recorded in Wensleydale). |  |
| Image 17 ID | 5531 |
| Image 17 Description | Are lunch box contents not sacred! Not to this little shrew! |  |
| Image 18 ID | 5532 |
| Image 18 Description | Shrew and one crumb. |  |
| Image 19 ID | 5536 |
| Image 19 Description | Black Beck Gill. Species rich calcareous Springs rise above Black Beck. |  |
| Image 20 ID | 5537 |
| Image 20 Description | Recording at Black Beck Springs |  |
| Image 21 ID | 5538 |
| Image 21 Description | Marsh Pimpernel, Anagallis tenella. |  |
| Image 22 ID | 5539 |
| Image 22 Description | Marsh Pimpernel, Anagallis tenella. |  |
| Image 23 ID | 5540 |
| Image 23 Description | Ragged Robin. A reduced form of this favourite flower. |  |
| Image 24 ID | 5541 |
| Image 24 Description | Ragged Robin with Flat Sedge (Blysmus) |  |
