Melmerby Green, sitting at the heart of Melmerby village, is an area of flower-rich hay meadow, with bare, sandy areas, a pond, broadleaf trees and the Melmerby beck. 

Seasonal highlights

Bright orange tawny mining bees bring colour to the green in spring, with violet-oil beetles another early species using the flower-rich grassland. During summer, the site is particularly good for bugs, including alien-like broad damsel bugs and tarnished plant bugs in the grassland and greater water boatmen on the pond. Red-necked footman moths feed on tree lichen at the site, while scarce-legged robberflies use the woodland edge habitat, giant lacewings live in waterside vegetation and attractive white-lipped banded snails can be found across the green.

• Car parking: lay-by, Melmerby Green, Cumbria, CA10 1HL
• Grid reference: NY 61550 37334
• Survey route length: 0.5 miles
• Terrain: the survey route follows tarmacked tracks and a rough, uneven footpath with some slight slopes.