The Peak District National Park - Fact Zone 12. Nature

	The Park
	Tourism
	Land Use
	Conservation
	Design
	Farming
	Castleton
	Dovedale
	Upper Derwent
	Geology
	Minerals
	Nature
	Burbage Valley
	Erosion
	Bakewell
	Population
	Langsett
	The Rangers
	The Pennine Way
	The Goyt Valley
	Longdendale

Limestone heath

Meadow Cranesbill

7. LIMESTONE HEATH (on roughly level land) remains in a few areas. It covered much of the plateau until the land was enclosed and divided into fields in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Heather grows in the leached acid topsoil (the lime has been washed out of this top layer), while lime-loving plants put their roots down into limey material (lying under the topsoil)

8. THE LIMESTONE PLATEAU has almost entirely been improved for agriculture, as the soil and summer weather allow good growth of grass. Some fields have not been reseeded or fertilised and have a good variety of flowers. Dog daisy and yellow rattle are often most noticeable in old hayfields. Road verges have good displays of meadow cranesbill, knapweed and many other flowers.

9. OLD LIMESTONE QUARRIES often develop a vegetation similar to limestone grassland and cliffs. The very poor soil means that there is little danger of coarse vegetation crowding out very fine plants such as fairy flax, eyebright and autumn gentian. Quarries are often good places to see orchids, whose seeds are blown in and get established on bare ground.

Mountain Pansy

Dipper

Harebell

10. OLD LEAD MINES are surrounded by mounds of waste material from the mines, with very poor soil. There may be fairy flax, eyebright and autumn gentian as in the quarries, but the most typical plant is leadwort (spring sandwort). This plant is tolerant of the toxic soil around some lead mines, which may prevent almost anything else from growing. Some waste heaps have leached soil and yellow mountain pansy often grows on them.

11. The Park contains many RESERVOIRS (large man-made lakes) where water is stored for use by the surrounding towns and cities. The water in the reservoirs is acid and they support little wildlife, except for some wildfowl, including in some placaes, goosanders and red-breasted mergansers. Trout are put into the reservoirs for anglers. Common sandpipers nest on the shores but are easily disturbed. Streams feeding the reservoirs often have grey wagtails and dippers.

12. The soil in the SHALE VALLEYS is less acid and more fertile than on the gritstone. It is also less exposed with a milder climate. and soil which is good for agriculture. Most lower land has been improved by fertilising, reseeding etc, and has less wildlife interest. Skylarks may still nest in spite of fewer insects and the risk of nests being destroyed by early silage cutting.

13. UPPER PASTURES have bent and fescues as the main grasses. If unimproved, they usually have a number of flowers; tormentil and harebell being commonest. Snipe and curlew may be found on damp ground with rushes. Bracken, gorse and tufted hair grass show that the land has not been managed intensively.




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