Sherburn Hill 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 County 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 lies just south of the road between the villages of Sherburn

Sherburn

Sherburn may refer to:In County Durham:*Sherburn, County Durham, a village to the east of Durham*Sherburn Hill, a separate village to the east of Sherburn*Sherburn House, a hamlet to the south-west of Sherburn...

 and Sherburn Hill

Sherburn Hill

Sherburn Hill is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the east of Sherburn.From 1835 to 1965, the Sherburn Hill Colliery operated near the village. In 1851, the Ebenezer Primitive Methodist Church was established in Sherburn Hill...

, some 5.5 km east of Durham

Durham

Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...

 city. A disused quarry occupies part of the site.

The site supports an area of semi-natural magnesian limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 grassland, in which blue moor-grass, Sesleria albicans, is the dominant species. 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....

, quaking grass, Briza media

Briza media

Briza media is a perennial grass in the family Poaceae and is a species of the genus Briza.Common name includes Quaking-grass, Cow-quake, Didder, Dithering-grass, Dodder-grass, Doddering Dillies, Doddle-grass, Earthquakes, Jiggle-joggles, Jockey-grass, Lady's-hair, Maidenhair-grass, Pearl Grass,...

, meadow oat-grass, Avenula pratensis, rock-rose, Helianthemum nummularium

Helianthemum nummularium

Helianthemum nummularium is a species of rockrose , native to most of Europe.-Description:It is an evergreen trailing plant with loose terminal clusters of bright yellow, saucer-shaped flowers...

, and fragrant orchid, Gymnadenia conopsea, are common, while sea plantain, Plantago maritima

Plantago maritima

Plantago maritima is a species of Plantago, family Plantaginaceae. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution in temperate and Arctic regions, native to most of Europe, northwest Africa, northern and central Asia, northern North America, and southern South America...

, is locally abundant in the grassland at the edge of limestone spoil heaps.

The site has one of the largest populations of the scarce Durham Argus butterfly, Aricia artaxerxes salmacis, and the rare cistus forester moth, Adscita geryon, has also been recorded.