Daw End Fields

A series of horse-grazed fields containing unimproved grassland of good quality. Most of the grassland is neutral to base-rich. Common bent, red fescue, common knapweed, common bird's-foot trefoil, ribwort plantain and small composites such as autumn hawkbit are abundant. Indicators of base-rich conditions such as lady's bedstraw, yellow oat-grass, burnet-saxifrage, fairy flax, quaking grass and the locally rare hoary ragwort are widespread and frequent.

Locally, mainly near the railway line, there are mounds and banks which are associated with old lime workings. These have a rich flora including rough and lesser hawkbit, thyme-leaved sandwort, common centaury, glaucous sedge, and strict calcicoles such as hoary plantain.

Geographical features

A ditch with a small stream across much of the site, and its rich flora adds greatly to the diversity of the site. The less disturbed parts have tall herbs such as great willowherb, meadowsweet, wild angelica and common valerian. Other species here include creeping jenny, sneezewort, marsh marigold and at least six species of rush. More heavily grazed and poached stretches have a different flora including procumbent pearlwort, marsh foxtail, and celery-leaved buttercup.
Butterflies include typical grassland species such as common blue small copper and small heath. Thick hawthorn dominated hedges provide cover for birds such as lesser whitethroat.

Management recommendations

A slight reduction in grazing pressure may be beneficial, although indicators of gross overgrazing such as docks and thistles are infrequent. The present low nutrient input regime should be continued. Herbicides and pesticides should be avoided as should reseeding or other 'improvement' of the grassland. The hedge would benefit from positive management in the long term.