Small Dales Wetlands

These wetlands include marshy grasslands dominated by Molinia, those with a high proportion of rushes and sedges and communities dominated by meadowsweet and marsh marigold. Normally these species have to form at least 25% cover to constitute marshy grassland. Communities dominated by tall sedges are also included. In reality wet/marshy grasslands demonstrate a great deal of gradation with other habitats and are, therefore, difficult to define. They develop in wet hollows, level areas with poor drainage and wet zones adjacent to streams. They also tend to have an abundance of typical wetland wildflowers. Wet/marshy grasslands are very rare in the Park covering only 0.5% of the area surveyed in the National Park Phase I Botanical Survey. They are, however, widely distributed and occur within many other habitats within a variety of locations from enclosed grasslands to hillside allotments and open moorland. Tall swamp habitats dominated by reeds or large sedges are also included in this broad habitat category. Eshton Tarn near Airton and Semerwater in Wensleydale provides some of the best examples of this habitat type otherwise this is a very rare habitat in the Dales

There are a small number of meadows in the Yorkshire Dales which correspond with a lowland type normally found on seasonally flooded valley floor areas adjacent to watercourses. They are very variable but are always rich in wildflowers such as great burnet, meadowsweet, water avens and marsh marigold. Small wetlands are of high biodiversity importance.

For more information about marsh plants follow the links below.

Links:

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Small Wetlands Habitat Action Plan (opens in a new window)

Marsh plants (opens in a new window)