Lendalfoot Hills Complex

General site character

• Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (4%)
  
• Heath, Scrub, Maquis and Garrigue, Phygrana (39%)
  
• Dry grassland, Steppes (37%)
  
• Humid grassland, Mesophile grassland (13%)
  
• Alpine and sub-Alpine grassland (1%)
  
• Improved grassland (5%)
  
• Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (1%)
  

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• 6230 Species-rich Nardus grasslands, on silicious substrates in mountain areas (and submountain areas in Continental Europe)  * Priority feature

  Lendalfoot Hills is one of five sites representing relatively low-altitude oceanic species-rich Nardus grasslands in western Scotland. This is the most southerly site where maritime species occur inland. The only NVC type present is CG10 Festuca ovina – Agrostis capillaris – Thymus praecox grassland. This occurs both in a dry form with yarrow Achillea millefolium, white clover Trifolium repens, spring sedge Carex caryophyllea and lady’s-bedstraw Galium verum, and a wet flushed form with flea sedge C. pulicaris, sea plantain Plantago maritima and purging flax Linum catharticum. Mixed forms are widespread. The low-altitude flora is species-rich, and includes crested hair-grass Koeleria macrantha, meadow oat-grass Helictotrichon pratense, common rock-rose Helianthemum nummularium and tufted vetch Vicia cracca, giving a grassland with floristic elements that are more usually associated with 6210 Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia). The northern flora is less well-developed, with a lady’s mantle Alchemilla glabra, northern bedstraw Galium boreale and bitter-vetch Lathyrus linifolius present. The underlying rocks are of serpentine and other ultra-basic rocks, and the grasslands occur in unusual mosaics with black bog-rush Schoenus nigricans-rich 4010 Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix and 7230 Alkaline fens.

• 7230 Alkaline fens

  On the Lendalfoot Hills there is a well-developed series of Alkaline fens belonging to M9 Carex rostrata – Calliergon cuspidatum mire and M10 Carex dioica – Pinguicula vulgaris mire. They are developed over base-rich serpentine rocks and are representative of this habitat in southern Scotland. The fens occur in a range of hydrological situations such as topogenous basin fens, soligenous tracks or soakways in valley fen or wet heath and as spring-fed fens. Some of the Carex – Pinguicula mires have an abundance of black bog-rush Schoenus nigricans. The Alkaline fens grade to a range of base-poor fens, wet heaths and species-rich grasslands.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

• 4010 Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix
• 4030 European dry heaths
• 6130 Calaminarian grasslands of the Violetalia calaminariae
• 7140 Transition mires and quaking bogs

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

• Not Applicable