Middle Crossthwaite
The site contains a complex mix of habitats, mainly hay meadows, upland wood pasture and base-rich flushes. Hay meadows are a diminishing habitat, which is threatened by modern agricultural practices, and those at Middle Crossthwaite are among the richest in species in Upper Teesdale.
A wide variety of grasses and herbs are present in the meadows, including the locally rare melancholy thistle, Cirsium helenioides, globe flower, Trollius europaeus, and alpine bistort, Polygonum viviparum. In the areas of wood pasture, typical tree species include ash, Fraxinus excelsior, hazel, Corylus avellana, and blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, over an understorey which includes foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, and wood sorrel, Oxalis acetosella.
References
- ^ "Middle Crossthwaite : Reasons for SSSI status" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 1 April 2022.