Yorkshire Nahiralists at Askrigg. 



out. This has already been undertaken by a member of the 

 committee. 



A. Cultivated Land of Valley Bottom and Lower 

 Slopes.— This is entirely under grass, either as meadow or 

 pasture. A great variety of plants was found in these meadows, 

 and a large proportion of the species recorded by the Botanical 

 Section are meadow plants. 



B. Woods. — These are found chiefly on the lower slopes of 

 the main valley or in the gills. Whitfield Gill is one of the best 

 of the gill woods, and yielded a large number of species. The 

 altitude of quite a number of woods and plantations in this 

 district is worthy of notice. The larch wood at Whitfield Crags, 

 rising to over 1,500 feet, was visited, but owing to the scanty 

 shelter afforded by the trees in the upper part, it did not show 

 any striking features in the undergrowth. In Raydale, above 

 Semmerwater, pine plantations of considerable size have been 

 formed up to an altitude of 1,800 feet. Unfortunately, time did 

 not permit of a detailed examination of these. 



C. Moorland. — [a) From the upper limit of the meadow 

 land, the slopes up to the upper Limestone scars are occupied 

 by a broad belt of grassy pasture ; this was found very constant 

 round Askrigg, also in Swaledale round Muker and up to 

 Kisdon Force, and again all round Semmerwater and the valleys 

 above it. The grass pasture is either the poorer Nardus and 

 Agrostis type, or it is made up of Festuca ovhia and other grasses 

 better suited for sheep pasturing. 



{h) Heather is found covering the greater part of the moor 

 plateau above the limestone slopes. The Heather extends to the 

 top of the valley slopes, where it may be seen almost on the 

 limestone scars. Near the edge of the heather moor there is a 

 zone of Heather, Bilberry, etc., frequently interrupted by green 

 tracts of the taller rushes which indicate constant moisture in 

 the soil. Towards the centre of the moors the vegetation 

 consists of Heather and Cotton Grass on deeper peat. On the 

 summits round Semmerwater deep banks of peat could be seen, 

 and although these were not visited, they are probably covered 

 with Bilberry and Cotton Grass with Rubus chamcEmorus , an 

 association characteristic of watersheds in the Pennines. On 

 Billingside Moor the Heather occupied a whole ridge from 

 1,800 feet down to the edge of Cragdale Beck. This is 

 interesting, because it was the only instance seen during- the 

 three days of Heather intruding from the summits into the zone 

 which was in all other places grassy pasture. 



1905 July I. 



