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Bishop Middleham Quarry
Bishop Middleham Quarry is a disused quarry, about north-west of Sedgefield, County Durham, England. Quarry-working here ceased in 1934, and the site has since been colonised by vegetation. The underlying rock is Magnesian Limestone and this has had a strong influence in determining the range of plant and animal communities now found there. In 1968 the quarry was designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The SSSI boundaries were revised in 1982 to exclude areas which were no longer found to have high wildlife interest due to tipping and quarry reworking. The site contains a variety of vegetation types including woodland, scrub, and several grassland communities. The most important part of the site from a biodiversity conservation perspective is the species-rich unimproved magnesian limestone grassland, which covers just under of the site. Only of this habitat exist in Britain, two-thirds of it in County Durham. Magnesian limestone grassland ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sedgefield
Sedgefield is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in County Durham (district), County Durham, England. It had a population of 5,211 as at the 2011 census. It has the Sedgefield Racecourse, only operating racecourse in County Durham. History Roman A Roman 'ladder settlement' was discovered by Channel Four's ''Time Team'' programme in 2003, in fields just to the west of Sedgefield. It consisted of rows of parallel croft (land), crofts and workshops on either side of a north–south trackway, creating a ladder-like layout, which could be securely dated by the many finds of Roman coins. Hunting During the 1800s, it was a hunting centre, dubbed 'the Melton (borough), Melton of the North'. Hunter Ralph Lambton had his headquarters at Sedgefield: the humorous writer, Robert Smith Surtees, who lived at Hamsterley Hall, was a friend of his. On 23 February 1815, Lord Darlington wrote: 'Mr Ralph Lambton was out with some gentlemen from Sedgefield, and a most immen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birdwatchers
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by listening for bird sounds, or by watching public webcams. Most birdwatchers pursue this activity for recreational or social reasons, unlike ornithologists, who engage in the study of birds using formal scientific methods. Birding, birdwatching, and twitching The first recorded use of the term ''birdwatcher'' was in 1901 by Edmund Selous; ''bird'' was introduced as a verb in 1918. The term ''birding'' was also used for the practice of ''fowling'' or hunting with firearms as in Shakespeare's ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' (1602): "She laments sir... her husband goes this morning a-birding." The terms ''birding'' and ''birdwatching'' are today used by some interchangeably, although some participants prefer ''birding'', partly because it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quarries In County Durham
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environmental impact. The word ''quarry'' can also include the underground quarrying for stone, such as Bath stone. Types of rock Types of rock extracted from quarries include: *Chalk * China clay * Cinder *Clay *Coal *Construction aggregate (sand and gravel) *Coquina *Diabase *Gabbro *Granite *Gritstone *Gypsum *Limestone *Marble *Ores *Phosphate rock *Quartz *Sandstone *Slate *Travertine Stone quarry Stone quarry is an outdated term for mining construction rocks (limestone, marble, granite, sandstone, etc.). There are open types (called quarries, or open-pit mines) and closed types ( mines and caves). For thousands of years, only hand tools had been used in quarries. In the 18th century, the use of drilling and blasting operations was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nature Reserves In County Durham
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are part of nature, human activity is often understood as a separate category from other natural phenomena. The word ''nature'' is borrowed from the Old French ''nature'' and is derived from the Latin word ''natura'', or "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in ancient times, literally meant "birth". In ancient philosophy, ''natura'' is mostly used as the Latin translation of the Greek word ''physis'' (φύσις), which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics of plants, animals, and other features of the world to develop of their own accord. The concept of nature as a whole, the physical universe, is one of several expansions of the original notion; it began with certain core applications of the word φύσις by pre-Socr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sites Of Special Scientific Interest In County Durham
Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typically with a common domain name It may also refer to: * Site, a National Register of Historic Places property type * SITE (originally known as ''Sculpture in the Environment''), an American architecture and design firm * Site (mathematics), a category C together with a Grothendieck topology on C * ''The Site'', a 1990s TV series that aired on MSNBC * SITE Intelligence Group, a for-profit organization tracking jihadist and white supremacist organizations * SITE Institute, a terrorism-tracking organization, precursor to the SITE Intelligence Group * Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate, a company in Sindh, Pakistan * SITE Centers, American commercial real estate company * SITE Town, a densely populated town in Karachi, Pakistan * S.I.T.E Indu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nature Reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. They may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park. Various jurisdictions may use other terminology, such as ecological protection area or private protected area in legislation and in official titles of the reserves. History Cultural practices that roughly equate to the establishment and maintenance of reserved areas for animals date b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bee-eaters In Britain
Two species of bee-eater have occurred as wild visitors to Britain, with two further species having occurred as an escape from captivity. European bee-eater The European bee-eater occurs in Britain mainly as a spring overshoot. Until the late 20th century the species was a national rarity i.e. a species whose records are collected by the British Birds Rarities Committee. Increasing numbers meant that it was downgraded to a "scarce migrant" from 1991. Bee-eaters are occasionally seen in Britain in autumn, but are much scarcer at that season. The species has occasionally bred. A flock of at least nine European bee-eaters was seen near Great Yarmouth and in other locations in the summer of 2021. Breeding attempts European bee-eaters have attempted to nest on several occasions in Britain: * In 1920, a pair made a nesting attempt in a sand bank of the River Esk at Musselburgh, Scotland. A local gardener captured the female, keeping her in a greenhouse, and she died two days late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Bee-eater
The European bee-eater (''Merops apiaster'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African population, the species is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa. This species occurs as a spring overshoot north of its usual range, with occasional breeding in northern Europe. Taxonomy and systematics The European bee-eater was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ... in 1758 in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under its current binomial nomenclature, binomial name ''Merops apiaster''. The genus name ''Merops (genus), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brown Argus
''Aricia agestis'', the brown argus, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic realm, north to northern Jutland (Denmark) and east to Siberia and the Tian Shan. Subspecies *''A. a. agestis'' southern and central Europe *''A. a. calida'' Chavignerie Sicily, Italy, Asia Minor *''A. a. azerbaidzhana'' Obraztsov, 1935 Transcaucasia, Caucaus Major *''A. a. nazira'' (Moore, 1865) Darvaz, western Pamirs, north-western Himalayas Brown argus (Aricia agestis) female.jpg, female ''A. a. agestis, UK Brown argus (Aricia agestis calida) Italy.jpg, female ''A. a. calida'', Italy Aricia agestis, Brown Argus, Minera, North Wales, May 2017 (34680423115).jpg , larva Description in Seitz ''L. astrarche'' Bgstr. (= ''medon'' Hufn., ''agestis'' Schiff., ''idas'' Gerh. (?), ''nazira'' Moore) (79 k). Above similar to the preceding, Aricia_anteros.html" ;"title="Aricia anteros">L. anteros deep dark brown, with strongly marked discocellular spot, especially in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Durham Wildlife Trust
Durham Wildlife Trust, founded in 1971, is a registered charity which aims to protect wildlife and promote nature conservation in parts of County Durham and Tyne and Wear, England. It is one of 46 such organisations that together constitute The Wildlife Trusts Partnership. The Trust owns or manages 37 nature reserves, covering more than 782 ha, operates two visitor centres, and is actively involved in raising conservation awareness through educational activities. Status and scope Durham Wildlife Trust is a registered charity, which depends to a large extent on the support of its members, many of whom participate as volunteers in various conservation activities. The Trust's Patron is the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and its President is Professor David Bellamy. The Trust's activities cover the present unitary authorities of Durham and Darlington in County Durham and the metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland in Tyne and Wear. Activities D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epipactis Atrorubens
''Epipactis atrorubens'', the dark-red helleborine or royal helleborine, is an herbaceous plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. As with many other species of orchids, the species is legally protected in some countries. Plantlife designated the dark-red helleborine as the county flower for Banffshire, Scotland. Description The plant is hardy and has a short rootstalk, often with multiple, fleshy roots. It blooms from June to August with erect, mostly purple inflorescences with dense hair on the tops, standing between in height. The blossoms emit a strong vanilla scent, especially in warm weather. The flowers sometimes vary in color, but are in general reddish-brown. The fruit is a capsule, out of which the light, dustlike seeds are spread by the wind. A number of natural hybrids with other '' Epipactis'' species are known. Taxonomy ''Epipactis atrorubens'' (Hoffm.) Besser is an accepted species, though ''Epipactis atrorubens'' Rostk. ex Spreng. ''nom. illeg.'' is a synonym of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calcicole
A calcicole, calciphyte or calciphile is a plant that thrives in lime rich soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown on acidic soils often develop the symptoms of aluminium toxicity, i.e. necrosis, and phosphate deficiency, i.e. anthocyanosis (reddening of the leaves) and stunting. A plant that thrives in acid soils is known as a calcifuge. A plant thriving on sand (which may be acidic or calcic) is termed psammophilic or arenaceous (see also arenite). Examples of calcicole plants * Ash trees ('' Fraxinus'' spp.) * Honeysuckle ('' Lonicera'') * ''Buddleja'' * Lilac (''Syringa'') * Beet * '' Clematis'' * '' Sanguisorba minor'' * Some European orchids * Some succulent plants genera '' Sansevieria'' and '' Titanopsis'' or cacti genus ''Thelocactus ''Thelocactus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Members of the gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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