Ddol Uchaf (also known as Y Ddol Uchaf) 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 ...

located near

Ysceifiog Ysceifiog, also written Ysgeifiog, is a small village, community (Wales), community and parish in Flintshire, Wales. It lies on a back road just north of the A541 highway between Nannerch and Caerwys. The name translates roughly as "a place where ...

, Flintshire, Wales. It has been selected as an SSSI due to the unique wildlife and organisms around the area.

Wildlife

Ddol Uchaf was designated as an SSSI because of its wildlife, grassland and soils. In particular, it is notable for hosting three species of newt ( great crested newt,

palmate newt The palmate newt (''Lissotriton helveticus'') is a species of newt found in Western Europe, from Great Britain to the northern Iberian peninsula. It is long and olive or brown with some dark spots. The underside is yellow to orange, and the thr ...

and smooth newt) and being one of very few sites with a population of hazel dormice. Many plants including common spotted orchid are found on the site. Several insect species have been recorded, including 12 species of dragonfly. There have been 93 recorded species of birds in the area, including carrion crow,

lesser whitethroat The lesser whitethroat (''Curruca curruca'') is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds in temperate Europe, except the southwest, and in the western and central Palearctic. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, winteri ...

, and sedge warbler. The site is also known for its tufa limestone, which supports many of the animals living in the site and has formed many ponds. The site is one of only two sites in the UK where the

fungus gnat Fungus gnats are small, dark, short-lived gnats, of the families Sciaridae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae, Bolitophilidae, and Mycetophilidae (order Diptera); they comprise six of the seven families placed in the superfamily Sciaroide ...

' has been recorded .

History

Ddol Uchaf means "Upper Meadow". The site was mentioned in 1647 as Ddol y Person. In 1657 it was referred to as Ddol Uchaf.{{cite book, title=Collections Historical & Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opcxAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA276, year=1872, publisher=Powys Land Club, page=276, oclc=499273333 The site was quarried for tufa and

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

during the Second World War. After the war, the site was abandoned until 1965 when it was purchased by the North Wales Naturalist Trust as a nature reserve.

References

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Flintshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Clwyd