THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MONK FRYSTON
AND ITS ENVIRONS

By Ginni Darbyshire (formerly of Lumby)

When we think about the natural history of an area, there are three underlying factors to take into consideration. These are geology, climate and land use. Geology and climate are going to affect vegetation, and vegetation is really the bottom of the food pyramid. Land use will have an influence on the habitats that are available for wildlife.

Geology of the area
If we look at a geological map of our area, we can see that there is a thin belt of Southern Magnesium Limestone running from near Worksop in the South to near Richmond in the North. Monk Fryston is on the eastern edge of this Limestone outcrop, where it becomes mixed with Upper and Middle Marl. To the West of the limestone is the West Yorkshire area with coal measures. To the East, the underlying rock round the Selby area is "Bunter" Sandstone, but here the action of past glaciers has resulted in a very flat landscape with a layer of impervious clay, which retains the water table at about 4 feet below the surface. A quick glance at the history books reveals that flooding has always been a problem in the Selby area. The few raised areas in this level landscape, Hambleton Hough and Brayton Barff, are a result of debris left after the melting of the glaciers.

Climate
The climate of the region is that of a transitional area between the warmer drier South of the country, and the cooler wetter uplands of the North and West. Being East of the Pennines is probably an advantage in rainfall terms, but the flat land to the East of Monk Fryston means there is little protection from really cold weather coming from that direction. When the wind is in the East, we can often expect to suffer.

As a result of the transitional nature of the climate, many species are reaching their geographical limits for survival. In fact it is interesting to see that climate change, probably due to global warming, can produce notable effects in an area like this. For example, some butterfly species such as the Speckled Wood, Comma, Brown Argus and Essex Skipper have colonised further North in recent years. Monk Fryston has a reasonably healthy number of butterfly species present, although not in large numbers - nineteen different species have been seen in Lumby alone over recent years.

Plants
The plants that grow on limestone grassland can be fascinating and diverse. Where this calcareous grassland is unimproved by agriculture, interesting plants like Quaking Grass, Wild Strawberry, Rock Rose and Wild Liquorice can be found, as well as a number of wild orchids, including the Bee Orchid, Common Twayblade and Common Spotted Orchid. Sadly, there is little unimproved grassland left, and it is left to Nature Reserves such as Sherburn Willows, belonging to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, to preserve the beautiful variety of plants. Sometimes, roadside verges still have vestiges of the botanical riches that were a feature of the countryside in years gone by; look out for the Cowslips up at Selby Fork roundabout in the Spring, followed in June by Common Spotted Orchids. Red and White Campion, Knapweed and Scabious also add colour to the roadsides in their season, while Violets and Wild Arum can be seen in early Spring.

If you look closely at the many drains and ditches by the roadsides approaching Selby, you can still see reeds and rushes growing. These must have been used in the past for thatching locally. One can still see a few thatched houses, for example here in the Square in Monk Fryston, and of course in South Milford there is "The Queen of T'owd Thatch" pub. We have found remnants of reeds in our attic space in Lumby, and rumour has it that this cottage was once thatched.

Many woods and hedgerows have gone, to make large fields and unobstructed access for modern agricultural machinery. Where woods and coppices remain, the trees are predominantly Ash and Sycamore. Bluebell copses are still found locally, and, in Spring, in Highroyds Wood and Castle Hill near Newthorpe, one can see the remains of overgrown Hazel coppice, with Wood Anemones, Bluebells and Wood Sorrel mingled with Cowslips. As well as the influence of agriculture, mention should be made of the many abandoned quarries, where the limestone was once extracted. These make small wild and overgrown areas among the large stretches of arable land, and doubtless provide shelter for birds and animals.

Birds
FairburnIngs, an RSPB reserve to the South West on the other side of the A1, is an area of flooded coal workings that consists of several lakes, marshy areas and meadows, with areas that have been planted up with alders, willows and other trees. It is on the north-south migration route for many bird species, and is well worth a visit, especially in the Spring and Autumn when swallows, martins, swifts and many rarer migrants may be seen. Winter brings many species of wild duck, geese and swans.
There are several rookeries in the area, at Battersby's Roundabout on the way to Monk Fryston, and at Monk Fryston Hall itself. Kestrels and Sparrow hawks are the commonest birds of prey. I have once seen a Little Owl, and Tawny Owls are frequently heard in areas. Hillam is fortunate to have Barn Owls being fledged in their locality. (see picture) Birds once typical of farmland can still be seen locally in reduced numbers - Tree Sparrows, Yellowhammers, Linnets, Skylarks and Lapwings. Pheasants and Partridges are also present.

.Mammals
As far as mammals are concerned, unfortunately it is probably better to leave larger mammals out of an article such as this, because of the risk of persecution. For the smaller mammals, I have seen stoats and weasels fairly regularly; hedgehogs are commonly found, and there are the usual populations of rabbits, field mice and voles, brown rats and moles, and shrews. Pipistrelle bats are one of the species commonly found in this area, and amphibians are represented by Common Frogs, breeding in many garden ponds, Toads and Common Newts. I believe there is a population of the rare Great Crested Newt somewhere in the South Milford area.

Monk Fryston is a pleasant village with many old houses and mature gardens; there are still some open spaces within the village, where grassland wildlife can be found. The new school building has a wildlife garden at its rear, which has been imaginatively designed, and planted with trees, shrubs and plants that are attractive to birds and insects. Monk Fryston Hall has quite extensive woodland to its rear; although this is private land, patrons of the hotel can stroll there and observe the wildlife.

In conclusion, although the Monk Fryston area, like the majority of the English countryside, shows the strong influence of people's use of the land, there is still much interesting animal and plant life to be seen locally, that is specific to our soil, climate and landscape.

Bibliography
LOUSLEY 'Wildflowers of Chalk and Limestone" (date?) - New Naturalist series.
SCRUTTON, Colin ed. "Yorkshire Rocks and Landscape" Yorkshire Geological Society, 1994.
BELL, Richard "Yorkshire Rock" 1996.

Web-sites
YORKSHIRE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY - www.yorksgeolsoc.org.uk
YORKSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST - www.yorkshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk
RICHARD BELL's NATURE DIARY - www.wildyorkshire.co.uk
BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION - www.butterfly-conservation.org
ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS - www.rspb.org.uk