The Bottoms is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham, England. It lies just south of the A181 road, roughly midway between the villages of Cassop and Wheatley Hill, some 10 km south-east of Durham city.
| The Bottoms | |
|---|---|
  Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| Location | MAGiC MaP |
| Nearest city | City of Durham |
| Coordinates | 54°44′13″N 1°26′24″W / 54.73694°N 1.44000°W |
| Area | 2.15 ha (5.3 acres) |
| Established | 1999 |
| Governing body | Natural England |
| Website | The Bottoms SSSI |
The site's interest lies in an area of unimproved magnesian limestone grassland, in which blue moor-grass, Sesleria albicans, and small scabious, Scabiosa columbaria, are the dominant species. This is a scarce vegetation type, which is found only in County Durham and the extent of which has been severely reduced by quarrying and intensive agriculture.[1]
Other grasses that are frequent in the sward include meadow oat-grass, Avenula pratensis, quaking grass, Briza media, sheep's fescue, Festuca ovina, and crested hairgrass, Koeleria macrantha. There is a rich variety of herbs, including rock-rose, Helianthemum nummularium, glaucous sedge, Carex flacca, spring sedge, C. caryophyllea, and mouse-ear hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum, and a small population of purple milk-vetch, Astragalus danicus, a local rarity on magnesian limestone.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Citation 2000340: The Bottoms SSSI" (PDF). designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Natural England. 27 April 1999. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
External links
edit- Hunter, Amanda (1999). "Designated Sites View: The Bottoms SSSI". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Natural England. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- "Magicmap:The Bottoms SSSI". magic.defra.gov.uk. DEFRA. 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- "Operations likely to damage the special interest" (PDF). designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Natural England. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- "Views about management: The Bottoms SSSI" (PDF). designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Natural England. 4 March 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- Loring, Jenny (4 July 2013). "Designated sites view: Condition of SSSI Units for Site The Bottoms SSSI". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Natural England. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- "The Bottoms SSSI". walkandfork.com. Walk and Fork. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
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