Sherburn Hill (SSSI)

Sherburn Hill
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Country England
Region North East
District County Durham
Location NZ329417
 - coordinates 54°46′11″N 1°29′22″W / 54.76972°N 1.48944°WCoordinates: 54°46′11″N 1°29′22″W / 54.76972°N 1.48944°W
Area 16.7 ha (41.3 acres)
Notification 1985
Management Natural England
Area of Search County Durham
Interest Biological
Map of England and Wales with a red dot representing the location of the Sherburn Hill SSSI, Co Durham
Location of Sherburn Hill SSSI, Co Durham
Website: Map of site

Sherburn Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham, England. It lies just south of the road between the villages of Sherburn and Sherburn Hill, some 5.5 km east of Durham city. A disused quarry occupies part of the site.

The site supports an area of semi-natural magnesian limestone grassland, in which blue moor-grass, Sesleria albicans, is the dominant species. Glaucous sedge, Carex flacca, quaking grass, Briza media, meadow oat-grass, Avenula pratensis, rock-rose, Helianthemum nummularium, and fragrant orchid, Gymnadenia conopsea, are common, while sea plantain, Plantago maritima, is locally abundant in the grassland at the edge of limestone spoil heaps.[1]

The site has one of the largest populations of the scarce Durham Argus butterfly, Aricia artaxerxes salmacis, and the rare cistus forester moth, Adscita geryon, has also been recorded.

References

  1. ↑ "Sherburn Hill". English Nature. 1985. Retrieved 31 July 2010.