Caltha palustris
Wildlife includes an important population of black grouse, along with the more usual upland birds. Sea-trout and salmon run the River Wear while adders (snakes) are sometimes encountered on the moors. With regard to flora, some species-rich meadows remain, and the wood cranesbill ("Geranium sylvaticum") and meadow cranesbill ("G. pratense") are easy to spot in summer while the mountain pansy ("Viola lutea") is a characteristic plant of the shorter grass round the upper dale. Around the upper dale also, in late Spring, damp places are bright with yellow marsh marigolds, of a variety (Caltha palustris minor) that is rather smaller than the ordinary marsh marigold (Caltha palustris). The tiny but beautiful spring sandwort ("Minuartia verna") may be seen around old lead workings, enabled by its high tolerance of lead to colonise ground where contamination inhibits other species.