Limestone Grassland
The dissolved limestone and low nutrient status in soils in the Limestone Country favour a high diversity of lime-loving grasses and herbs that will thrive at appropriate levels of grazing. These calcareous grasslands are broadly of two types. The first and least widespread are the blue moor-grass dominated upland grasslands.
These are generally rare nationally, being largely restricted to the North Pennines. They are found on exposures of Carboniferous limestone bearing thin, less-developed soils in direct contact with the bedrock. They are often dominated by blue moor-grass and glaucous sedge, with small scabious, carline thistle and on wetter ground bird's eye primrose and grass-of-Parnassus.
The more widespread type of calcareous grassland is dominated by fescues and characterised by the presence of fine-leaved sedges. These grasslands occur on deeper soils over limestone and also on calcareous drift deposits. Richer grasslands may include common milkwort, salad burnet, wild thyme and common rock rose.
