Newton Ketton Meadow is a Site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 in the Darlington

Darlington (borough)

Darlington is a local government district and borough in North East England. In 2008 it had a resident population of 100,500 It borders County Durham to the north and west, North Yorkshire to the south along the line of the River Tees, and Stockton-on-Tees to the east.-Council:Traditionally part of...

 district of Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is situated alongside a small tributary of the River Skerne

River Skerne

The River Skerne is a tributary of the River Tees it flows through County Durham in England.The Skerne is about long, the Skerne begins in magnesian limestone hills between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange and ends at Hurworth Place where it joins the River Tees....

, about 2 km south-west of the village of Great Stainton

Great Stainton

Great Stainton is a village in the borough of Darlington and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of Darlington, and to the west of Stockton-on-Tees.-External links:...

 and 3 km east of the village of Brafferton

Brafferton, County Durham

Brafferton is a village in the borough of Darlington and the traditional and ceremonial counties of Durham in England. It is situated between Darlington and Newton Aycliffe, a short distance from Coatham Mundeville....

.

The site is one of the few remaining traditional hay

Hay

Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...

 meadows on the coastal plain between the River Tees

River Tees

The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...

 and the River Tyne

River Tyne

The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...

 and supports a rich variety of species characteristic of this habitat.

Great burnet, Sanguisorba officinalis

Sanguisorba officinalis

Sanguisorba officinalis is a plant in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. It is native throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America....

, is present in abundance, as are herbs such as sneezewort, Achillea ptarmica, cuckooflower, Cardamine pratensis

Cardamine pratensis

Cardamine pratensis , is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia.-Description:...

, meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria, and common spotted orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii. Grasses include sweet vernal-grass, Anthoxanthum odoratum

Anthoxanthum odoratum

-Introduction:Anthoxanthum odoratum, known as sweet vernal grass, holy grass, vanilla grass or buffalo grass, is a short-lived grass found wild in acidic grassland in Eurasia. It is also grown as a lawn grass and a house plant, due to its sweet scent, and can also be found on unimproved pastures...

, common bent, Agrostis capillaris

Agrostis capillaris

Agrostis capillaris is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family . It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world...

, and downy oat-grass, Avenula pubescens. There are also a notable variety of sedges, including glaucous sedge, Carex flacca

Carex flacca

Carex flacca, with common names blue sedge, gray carex, glaucous sedge, or carnation-grass, , is a species of sedge native to parts of Europe and North Africa....

, hairy sedge, C. hirta

Carex hirta

Carex hirta, the hairy sedge, is a species of sedge found across Europe. It has characteristic hairy leaves and inflorescences, and is the type species of the genus Carex.-Description:...

, tawny sedge, C. hostiana, carnation sedge, C. panicea, and flea sedge, C. pulicaris.