Raisby Hill Grassland

Raisby Hill Grassland
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Country	England
Region	North East
District	County Durham

Location	NZ335354
- coordinates	GB-ENG 54°42′47″N 1°28′51″W / 54.71306°N 1.48083°W / 54.71306; -1.48083Coordinates: GB-ENG 54°42′47″N 1°28′51″W / 54.71306°N 1.48083°W / 54.71306; -1.48083

Area	15.13 ha (37.39 acres)

Notification	1984
Management	Natural England

Area of Search	County Durham
Interest	Biological

Location of Raisby Hill Grassland SSSI, Co Durham
Website: Map of site

Raisby Hill Grassland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in east County Durham, England. It lies just over 1 km east of the village of Coxhoe.

The site consists of a small disused quarry and the undisturbed part of Raisby Hill, as well as a small area of wetland alongside Raisby Beck. It formed part of the Raisby Hill Quarry SSSI until 1984 when it was removed and, with some expansion of the area, notified as a separate SSSI.

In the undisturbed part of Raisby Hill primary magnesian limestone grassland is the main vegetation type. Blue moor-grass, Sesleria albicans, is abundant, and there is a rich assemblage of species characteristic of calcareous soils, such as quaking grass, Briza media, meadow oat grass, Avenula pratensis, glaucous sedge, Carex flacca, and fragrant orchid, Gymnadenia conopsea.

The skeletal soils in the abandoned quarry at the southwestern end of the site support the largest population of dark-red helleborine, Epipactis atrorubens, in County Durham. Other species found here include rock rose, Helianthemum nummularium, frog orchid, Coeloglossum viride, and pyramidal orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis.

The site supports a breeding population of Durham Argus butterfly, Aricia artaxerxes salmacis, a form which is only found in the magnesian limestone areas of Durham.^[1]

References

↑ "Raisby Hill Grassland" (PDF). English Nature. 1984. Retrieved 1 August 2010.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham

Backstone Bank and Baal Hill Woods Baldersdale Woodlands Bishop Middleham Quarry Bollihope, Pikestone, Eggleston and Woodland Fells Botany Hill Bowes Moor Bowlees and Friar House Meadows Brasside Pond Brignall Banks Burnhope Burn Butterby Oxbow Cassop Vale Castle Eden Dene Causey Bank Mires Charity Land Close House Mine Cornriggs Meadows Cotherstone Moor Crag Gill Crime Rigg and Sherburn Hill Quarries Dabble Bank Derwent Gorge and Horsleyhope Ravine Durham Coast Fairy Holes Cave Far High House Meadows Fishburn Grassland Foster's Hush Frog Wood Bog God's Bridge Grains o' th' Beck Meadows Green Croft and Langley Moor Greenfoot Quarry Hannah's Meadows Hawthorn Dene Hawthorn Quarry Hell Kettles Hesledon Moor East Hesledon Moor West Hexhamshire Moors Hisehope Burn Valley Hulam Fen Hunder Beck Juniper Kilmond Scar Low Redford Meadows Lune Forest Mere Beck Meadows Middle Crossthwaite Middle Side and Stonygill Meadows Middleton Quarry Middridge Quarry Moorhouse and Cross Fell Muggleswick, Stanhope and Edmundbyers Commons and Blanchland Moor Neasham Fen Newton Ketton Meadow Old Moss Lead Vein Park End Wood Pig Hill Pike Whin Bog Pittington Hill Pow Hill Bog Quarrington Hill Grasslands Railway Stell West Raisby Hill Grassland Raisby Hill Quarry Redcar Field Rigg Farm and Stake Hill Meadows Rogerley Quarry Sherburn Hill Shipley and Great Woods Sleightholme Beck Gorge - The Troughs Slit Woods Stony Cut, Cold Hesledon Teesdale Allotments The Bottoms The Carrs Thrislington Plantation Town Kelloe Bank Trimdon Limestone Quarry Tuthill Quarry Upper Teesdale Waldridge Fell West Newlandside Meadows West Park Meadows West Rigg Open Cutting Westernhope Burn Wood Wingate Quarry Witton-le-Wear Yoden Village Quarry

Neighbouring areas Cleveland Northumberland Tyne and Wear

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