Acaster South Ings is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, or SSSI, near

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England. It consists of two

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

flood-meadow A flood-meadow (or floodmeadow) is an area of grassland or pasture beside a river, subject to seasonal flooding.Huhta, Ari‐Pekka, Rautio, Pasi (2014). Flood meadows in Finland - their development during the past century. ''Nordic Journal of B ...

s, and was designated in 1988 because it supports diverse fauna and flora, some of which is rare in the

Vale of York The Vale of York is an area of flat land in the northeast of England. The vale is a major agricultural area and serves as the main north–south transport corridor for Northern England. The Vale of York is often supposed to stretch from the R ...

area. One of the rarities is the

tansy beetle The tansy beetle (''Chrysolina graminis'') is a species of leaf beetle. It measures 7.7–10.5 mm in length and has a characteristic bright metallic green colouration. The common name derives from the tansy plant on which they often feed ...

, which feeds on the leaves of the

tansy Tansy (''Tanacetum vulgare'') is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant in the genus ''Tanacetum'' in the aster family, native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world, including North America, and in ...

plant.

Site location and designation

Acaster South Ings is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), consisting of "two large alluvial flood-meadows." The meadows are adjacent to the River Ouse and approximately south of

. Such wet grasslands are considered rare in the United Kingdom due to contemporary "drainage and agricultural improvement." The site is accessed on foot via a public footpath along the Ouse riverbank, from

Acaster Malbis Acaster Malbis () is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, England. It is located on the River Ouse, almost south of York. Nearby are the villages of Copmanthorpe to the north-west, Bishopthorpe 2 miles to ...

via Acaster Marine. The SSSI was first notified in 1988, and is classified under a wildlife enhancement scheme, due to the presence of

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s containing rare plant and insect life. It is one of nine wildlife SSSIs in the Greater York area, the other designated sites being Strensall Common, Heslington Tilmire,

Askham Bog Askham Bog is small area of peat bog and Site of Special Scientific Interest situated within the Vale of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies to the south-west of York, north of Copmanthorpe and near Askham Richard and Askham Bryan. It is ...

, Fulford Ings, Naburn Marsh, Church Ings,

Derwent Ings Derwent Ings is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) divided between North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Derwent Ings is of international significance and has been designated a Wetland of International Importance ...

and River Derwent. It is one of four riverside

hay meadow A Hay meadow is an area of land set aside for the production of hay. In Britain hay meadows are typically meadows with high botanical diversity supporting a diverse assemblage of organisms ranging from soil microbes, fungi, arthropods including man ...

SSSIs listed by the

Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust The Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust was formed in 2004 with a remit to improve, restore and conserve the rivers Swale, Ure, Wharfe and Nidd whose headwaters lie within the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Nat ...

, alongside Clifton Ings and Rawlcliffe Meadows, Fulford Ings and Naburn Marsh.

Significant site content

Flora

There are grasses such as

great burnet ''Sanguisorba officinalis'', commonly known as great burnet, is a plant in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. It is native throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America. It ...

cock's-foot ''Dactylis'' is a genus of Eurasian and North African plants in the bluegrass subfamily within the grass family. ''Dactylis'' is native to North Africa, they are found throughout the world, and are an invasive species. They are known in English ...

, creeping bent,

meadow foxtail ''Alopecurus pratensis'', known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia. This common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral so ...

Yorkshire fog ''Holcus lanatus'' is a perennial grass. The specific epithet ' is Latin for 'woolly' which describes the plant's hairy texture. Common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass. In North America, where it is an invasive sp ...

and crested dog's tail. Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (20).JPG, Great burnet at Acaster South Ings Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (21).JPG, Cock's-foot at the site Agrostis Wuchs.jpg, Creeping bent Alopecurus pratensis Grote vossenstaart.jpg, Meadow foxtail Gestreepte witbol bloei Holcus lanatus.jpg, Yorkshire fog Cynosurus.cristatus.jpg, Crested dog's tail Flowering plants covering the flood meadow include

meadow vetchling ''Lathyrus pratensis'' or meadow vetchling, yellow pea, meadow pea and meadow pea-vine, is a perennial legume that grows to 1.2 m in height. The hermaphrodite flowers are pollinated by bees. As a perennial, this plant reproduces itself over man ...

, ox eye daisy,

common sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ('dock' being a common name for the genus '' ...

red clover ''Trifolium pratense'', the red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions. Description Red clov ...

creeping thistle ''Cirsium arvense'' is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere.Joint Nature Conservation Committee''Cirsium arvense'' The standa ...

, meadowsweet,

ribwort plantain ''Plantago lanceolata'' is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is known by the common names ribwort plantain, narrowleaf plantain, English plantain, ribleaf, lamb's tongue, and buckhorn. It is a common weed on c ...

and

meadow buttercup ''Ranunculus acris'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, and is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup, tall buttercup, common buttercup and giant but ...

. There are "distinct stands throughout the grassland" of common bistort, and some areas which contain common meadow rue, and

pepper saxifrage ''Silaum silaus'', commonly known as pepper-saxifrage, is a perennial plant in the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) (the carrot family) found across south-eastern, central, and western Europe, including the British Isles. It grows in damp grasslan ...

. Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (74).JPG, Meadow vetchling at Acaster South Ings Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (14).JPG, Sorrel or dock at the site Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (40).JPG, Red clover at the site Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (11).JPG, Creeping thistle at the site Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (7).JPG, Meadowsweet at the site The site is protected, by earth dykes, from potential flooding from the adjacent River Ouse. These dykes provide plant habitat which is drier than the flood meadows. Some plants which prefer this drier habitat are meadow cranesbill, field mouse ear and

clustered bellflower ''Campanula glomerata'', known by the common names clustered bellflower or Dane's blood, is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Campanula'', belonging to the family Campanulaceae. It is the county flower of Rutland, England. Etymology ...

. Along the riverside are trees and shrubs such as osier and

hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

, and plants taller than those in the meadows, including

butterbur ''Petasites'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae, that are commonly referred to as butterburs and coltsfoots.common mugwort,

reed canary grass ''Phalaris arundinacea'', or reed canary grass, is a tall, perennial bunchgrass that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, northern ...

and

great willowherb ''Epilobium hirsutum'' is a flowering plant belonging to the willowherb genus ''Epilobium'' in the family Onagraceae. It is commonly known as the great willowherb, great hairy willowherb or hairy willowherb. Local names include codlins-and-cream, ...

. Acaster South Ings 9 December 2019 (14).JPG, Looking north across Acaster South Ings: grassland (left), dyke (right), riverside shrubs (background) Acaster South Ings 2021-07-08 (3).jpg, Meadow cranesbill at Acaster South Ings Cerastium arvense 5620.JPG, Field mouse ear 20150812Campanula glomerata4.jpg, Clustered bellflower Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (49).JPG, Tansy at the site Acaster South Ings 9 December 2019 (12).JPG, Osiers at the site

Fauna

There are two beetles which are protected here. The rare

feeds on the leaves of the tansy plant, and '' Aphthona nigriceps'' (a

flea beetle The flea beetle is a small, jumping beetle of the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae), that makes up the tribe Alticini which is part of the subfamily Galerucinae. Historically the flea beetles were classified as their own subfamily. Though m ...

) lives on meadow cranesbill. Other insects here are scarab beetle ''

Hoplia philanthus ''Hoplia'' is a genus of monkey beetles in the family Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of thi ...

'', red soldier beetle,

pollen beetle Pollen beetle is an informal term for any species of beetle associated intimately with suitably pollen-rich species of flowers. Typically such a beetle is adapted to the pollen as a major part of its diet. Species in at least sixteen families of th ...

and plant bug '' Leptoterna flavilabris''. The

curlew The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been in ...

, a wading bird, breeds here. This is "one of few suitable breeding areas for waders" in the

, so dog walkers are advised to keep dogs on leads during the spring breeding season. Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (96).JPG, Tansy beetle at Acaster South Ings Acaster South Ings 2021-07-08 (3a).jpg, Pollen beetle on meadow cranesbill at the site Acaster South Ings 8 July 2021 (80).JPG, Scarab beetle at the site Acaster South Ings 2021-07-08 (4).jpg, Red soldier beetle at the site Acaster South Ings 2021-07-08 (5).jpg, Plant bug at the site Curlew - natures pics.jpg, Curlew

Maintenance

"Active management" is required, to conserve the above flora and fauna. Farming practices for the protection of the above species are: "continuation of traditional management for haycropping followed by aftermath grazing in late summer to early autumn." To prevent tall growth and to avoid build-up of decayed vegetation, the fields are cut or mowed in early July after the curlews have bred and the protected plants have set seed. Grazing animals are removed in autumn. There is "regular and careful maintenance of surface drainage including ditches and drains." The condition of the site is described by

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

as "unfavourable - recovering." The unfavourable condition was specified as "unfavourable

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

" in

Hansard ''Hansard'' is the traditional name of the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official print ...

in 2004.

Development and risk assessment

In 2018 the company Renewables First assessed the area for potential effects of the proposed

Naburn Naburn is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the eastern side of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse about south of York. According to the 2001 census the pari ...

Weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

Hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

Project. The assessment document concluded that the development was "not expected to have an adverse impact on the nearby SSSIs."

Notes

References

External links

{{coord, 53, 53, 10, N, 01, 05, 52, W, region:GB, display=title Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Yorkshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1988