Editing Greater Manchester (section)

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Greater Manchester|List of places in Greater Manchester|List of settlements in Greater Manchester by population}}
[[File:The Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist, Salford - geograph.org.uk - 3027257.jpg|thumb|[[Salford]], the second city of the county]]
Greater Manchester is a landlocked county spanning {{cvt|493|sqmi|km2|0}}.<ref name="area"/> The [[Pennines]] rise to the north and east of the county with the [[West Pennine Moors]] in the northwest, the [[South Pennines]] in the northeast and the [[Peak District]] in the east. Several [[coalfield]]s (mainly sandstones and shales) lie in the west of the county while the [[Cheshire Plain]] fringes the south.<ref name=con/> The rivers [[River Mersey|Mersey]], [[River Irwell|Irwell]] and [[River Tame, Greater Manchester|Tame]] run through Greater Manchester, all of which rise in the Pennines.<ref name=con/> Other rivers traverse the region as tributaries to the major rivers, including the [[River Douglas, Lancashire|Douglas]], the [[River Irk|Irk]], and the [[River Roch|Roch]].<ref name=con/> [[Black Chew Head]] is the [[List of English counties by highest point|highest point]] in Greater Manchester which forms part of the [[Peak District|Peak District National Park]], rising {{cvt|1778|ft|m|0}} above sea-level, within the parish of [[Saddleworth]].{{sfn|Dawson|1992|loc="Chapter 6: The County Tops"}}
Greater Manchester is characterised by its dense urban and industrial developments, which include centres of commerce, finance, retail and administration, as well as commuter suburbs and housing, interspersed with transport infrastructure such as light rail, roads and motorway, and canals.<ref name=con>{{cite web |url=http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/6475405154320384 |title=55: Manchester Conurbation |publisher=naturalengland.org.uk |access-date=5 August 2013 |date=18 July 2013 |archive-date=21 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021195252/http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/6475405154320384 |url-status=live}}</ref> There is a mix of high density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Greater Manchester, but land use is mostly urban.<ref name="GMLTP">{{cite web |url=http://www.gmltp.co.uk/gmltp2_html/section_123173639918.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927205808/http://www.gmltp.co.uk/gmltp2_html/section_123173639918.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 |title=The Greater Manchester Area and its Regional Context |author=Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority |publisher=gmltp.co.uk |authorlink=GMPTE |access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref> The built environment of Greater Manchester utilises red brick and sandstone prominently as a building material, alongside structures composed of modern materials, high-rise towers, and landmark 19th, 20th and 21st century buildings in the city and town centres.<ref name=con/>
[[File:Rochdale Town Hall & 7 Sisters.jpg|thumb|[[Rochdale]], one of the large towns of Greater Manchester]]
[[Manchester city centre]] is the commercial and geographic heart of Greater Manchester,<ref name=core>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/18981/final_core_strategy |publisher=manchester.gov.uk |author=Manchester City Council |title=Manchester's Local Development Framework: Core Strategy Development Plan Document |quote=Part of the City Centre is in Salford and both the Regional Centre and Inner Areas cover areas of Manchester, Salford and Trafford&nbsp;... Manchester City Centre is defined as the area inside the Inner Relief Route and extends to the south to encompass the Oxford Road Corridor. The City Centre also extends to Chapel Street, within the administrative boundary of Salford City Council. |date=11 July 2012 |access-date=16 June 2013 |archive-date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225104734/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/18981/final_core_strategy |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Ravetz|2000|p=50}}<ref name=gms>{{cite web |url=http://www.agma.gov.uk/cms_media/files/final_gms_august_2009.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116073359/http://www.agma.gov.uk/cms_media/files/final_gms_august_2009.pdf |archive-date=16 November 2012 |title=Prosperity for all: The Greater Manchester Strategy |publisher=agma.gov.uk |author=Association of Greater Manchester Authorities |date=August 2009 |access-date=22 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and with the adjoining parts of Salford and Trafford, is defined as Greater Manchester's "Regional Centre" for purposes of urban planning and public transport.<ref name=core/><ref name=gms/><ref name=unique>{{cite web |url=http://www.localgovernmentexecutive.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-councils-plan-unique-town-centre-investment-strategy-20139553 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021193221/http://www.localgovernmentexecutive.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-councils-plan-unique-town-centre-investment-strategy-20139553 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 October 2013 |publisher=localgovernmentexecutive.co.uk |title=Greater Manchester councils plan "unique" town centre investment strategy |date=19 March 2013 |access-date=22 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Manchester Unitary Development Plan |year=1995 |author=Manchester City Council |page=105}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.tfgm.com/journey_planning/LTP3/Documents/Greater_Manchester_Local_Transport_Plan_Core_Strategy.pdf |publisher=Transport for Greater Manchester |title=Greater Manchester's third Local Transport Plan 2011/12 – 2015/16 |year=2011 |authorlink1=Transport for Greater Manchester |authorlink2=Greater Manchester Combined Authority |author1=TfGM |author2=GMCA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233802/http://www.tfgm.com/journey_planning/LTP3/Documents/Greater_Manchester_Local_Transport_Plan_Core_Strategy.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> Political and economic ties between the city centre and neighbouring Salford and [[Trafford]] have strengthened with the shift from town and district centres to metropolitan-level centres in England,{{sfn|Kellie|2010|pp=4–5, 243}}<ref name=unique/> and this area's high-rise landmark buildings provide a visual orientation point of reference as a central business district.<ref name=con/> However, Greater Manchester is also a polycentric county with ten metropolitan districts,<ref name="GMLTP"/> each of which has a major town centre&nbsp;– and in some cases more than one&nbsp;– and many smaller settlements.<ref name="GMLTP"/> The major towns encircle Manchester city centre, and between them are other outlying towns (such as [[Denton, Greater Manchester|Denton]], [[Middleton, Greater Manchester|Middleton]] and [[Failsworth]]) which are [[suburb]]an to both the Regional Centre and the major town centres.{{sfn|Freeman|Snodgrass|1959|p=155}} Combined, these factors make Greater Manchester the most complex "polycentric functional urban region" in the UK outside London.<ref name="GMLTP"/>{{sfn|Clapson|2010|pp=123–124}}
{| class="wikitable" style="border:0; text-align:left; line-height:150%;"
|-
!colspan="2" |Metropolitan borough || Administrative centre || Constituent Towns
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Bolton|Bolton]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterBolton.png|50px]]
| [[Bolton]]
| [[Blackrod]], [[Farnworth]], [[Horwich]], [[Kearsley]], [[Little Lever]], [[South Turton]], [[Westhoughton]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Bury|Bury]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterBury.png|50px]]
| [[Bury, Greater Manchester|Bury]]
| [[Prestwich]], [[Radcliffe, Greater Manchester|Radcliffe]], [[Ramsbottom]], [[Tottington, Greater Manchester|Tottington]], [[Whitefield, Greater Manchester|Whitefield]]
|-
| [[Manchester]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterManchester.png|50px]]
| [[Manchester city centre|Manchester]]
| [[Blackley]], [[Cheetham Hill]], [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]], [[Didsbury]], [[Ringway, Greater Manchester|Ringway]], [[Withington]], [[Wythenshawe]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterOldham.png|50px]]
| [[Oldham]]
| [[Chadderton]], [[Shaw and Crompton]], [[Failsworth]], [[Lees, Greater Manchester|Lees]], [[Royton]], [[Saddleworth]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale|Rochdale]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterRochdale.png|50px]]
| [[Rochdale]]
| [[Heywood, Greater Manchester|Heywood]], [[Littleborough, Greater Manchester|Littleborough]], [[Middleton, Greater Manchester|Middleton]], [[Milnrow]], [[Newhey]], [[Wardle, Greater Manchester|Wardle]]
|-
| [[City of Salford|Salford]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterSalford.png|50px]]
| [[Swinton, Greater Manchester|Swinton]]
| [[Eccles, Greater Manchester|Eccles]], [[Clifton, Greater Manchester|Clifton]], [[Little Hulton]], [[Walkden]], [[Worsley]], [[Salford]], [[Irlam]], [[Pendlebury]], [[Cadishead]], [[Patricroft]], [[Monton]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport|Stockport]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterStockport.png|50px]]
| [[Stockport]]
| [[Bramhall]], [[Bredbury]], [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]], [[Gatley]], [[Hazel Grove]], [[Marple, Greater Manchester|Marple]], [[Romiley]] [[Woodley, Greater Manchester|Woodley]]
|-
| [[Tameside]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterTameside.png|50px]]
| [[Ashton-under-Lyne]]
| [[Audenshaw]], [[Denton, Greater Manchester|Denton]], [[Droylsden]], [[Dukinfield]], [[Hyde, Greater Manchester|Hyde]], [[Longdendale]], [[Mossley]], [[Stalybridge]]
|-
| [[Trafford]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterTrafford.png|50px]]
| [[Stretford]]
| [[Altrincham]], [[Bowdon, Greater Manchester|Bowdon]], [[Hale, Greater Manchester|Hale]], [[Sale, Greater Manchester|Sale]], [[Urmston]], [[Partington]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Wigan|Wigan]] || [[File:GreaterManchesterWigan.png|50px]]
| [[Wigan]]
| [[Abram, Greater Manchester|Abram]], [[Ashton-in-Makerfield]], [[Aspull]], [[Astley, Greater Manchester|Astley]], [[Atherton, Greater Manchester|Atherton]], [[Bryn, Greater Manchester|Bryn]], [[Golborne]], [[Higher End]], [[Hindley, Greater Manchester|Hindley]], [[Ince-in-Makerfield]], [[Leigh, Greater Manchester|Leigh]], [[Orrell, Greater Manchester|Orrell]], [[Shevington]], [[Standish, Greater Manchester|Standish]], [[Tyldesley]], [[Winstanley, Greater Manchester|Winstanley]]
|}
The [[Greater Manchester Built-up Area]] is the [[conurbation]] or continuous urban area based around Greater Manchester, as defined by the [[Office for National Statistics]]. In 2011, it had an estimated population of 2,553,379, making it the [[List of urban areas in the United Kingdom|second most populous built-up area in the UK]], and occupied an area of {{cvt|630.3|sqkm}} at the time of the 2011 census.<ref name="BUA">{{cite web |url=http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/747.aspx |title=2011 Census – Built-up areas |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics|ONS]] |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-date=21 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921045319/http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/747.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref> The European Union designate the conurbation as a single homogeneous urban [[city region]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/strongprosperous |title=State of the English Cities: Volume 1 |publisher=Office of the Deputy Prime Minister |year=2006 |access-date=17 December 2006 |archive-date=20 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420085758/http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/strongprosperous |url-status=live}}</ref> The Built-up Area includes most of Greater Manchester, omitting areas of countryside and small villages, as well as noncontiguous urban towns such as [[Wigan]] and [[Marple, Greater Manchester|Marple]].<ref name="BUA"/> Outside the boundary of Greater Manchester it includes several adjacent areas of settlement and a few outliers connected to the conurbation by ribbon development, such as [[Wilmslow]] and [[Alderley Edge]] in Cheshire, [[Glossop]] and [[Hadfield, Derbyshire|Hadfield]] in Derbyshire, and [[Whitworth, Lancashire|Whitworth]] in Lancashire.<ref name="BUA"/> This conurbation forms part of a [[megalopolis]] of 9.4 million across [[northern England]].<ref name="European megalopolises">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=arH5Ag1T1OcC&pg=PA69 |title=From Territorial Cohesion to the New Regionalized Europe |isbn=9788838760341 |access-date=5 October 2014 |last1=Pedrazzini |first1=Luisa |last2=Akiyama |first2=Renata Satiko |year=2011 |publisher=Maggioli Editore |archive-date=20 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220000149/https://books.google.com/books?id=arH5Ag1T1OcC&pg=PA69 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ESPON">[http://www.espon.eu/export/sites/default/Documents/Projects/ESPON2006Projects/StudiesScientificSupportProjects/UrbanFunctions/fr-1.4.3_April2007-final.pdf#page=119 ESPON] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924002318/http://www.espon.eu/export/sites/default/Documents/Projects/ESPON2006Projects/StudiesScientificSupportProjects/UrbanFunctions/fr-1.4.3_April2007-final.pdf |date=24 September 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Groom |first1=Brian |title=A great northern conurbation |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4c66b26a-f884-11e3-815f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3UoBdg1Hz |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210221259/https://www.ft.com/content/4c66b26a-f884-11e3-815f-00144feabdc0#axzz3UoBdg1Hz |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=Financial Times |date=20 June 2014 |publisher=Financial Times London UK |access-date=19 March 2015}}</ref>

{{Clear}}
{{Panorama
 |image      = Greater Manchester Panorama from Peel Monument.jpg
 |alt        = 
 |fullwidth  = 3986
 |fullheight = 477
 |caption    = A view over Greater Manchester from the [[Peel Monument]]. The county is heavily urbanised and consists of vast [[Urban area|built up]] areas and many settlements, fringed by sparsely populated countryside such as the [[West Pennine Moors]].
 |height     = 240
}}

===Climate===
Greater Manchester experiences a temperate [[Oceanic climate|maritime climate]], like most of the [[British Isles]], with relatively cool summers and mild winters. The county's average annual rainfall is {{cvt|806.6|mm|in|2}}<ref name="Greater Manchester weather">{{cite web |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/manchester_airport.html |title=Manchester Airport 1971–2000 weather averages |publisher=[[Met Office]] |year=2001 |access-date=15 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929103050/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/manchester_airport.html |archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref> compared to the UK average of {{cvt|1125.0|mm|in|2}},<ref name="UK weather">{{cite web |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/uk.html |title=UK 1971–2000 averages |publisher=[[Met Office]] |year=2001 |access-date=15 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705140124/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/uk.html |archive-date=5 July 2009}}</ref> and its mean rain days are {{cvt|140.4|mm|in}} per annum,<ref name="Greater Manchester weather"/> compared to the UK average of {{cvt|154.4|mm|in}}.<ref name="UK weather"/> The mean temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom.<ref name="UK weather"/> Greater Manchester has a relatively high humidity level, which lent itself to the optimised and breakage-free textile manufacturing process that took place around the county. Snowfall is not common in the built up areas because of the [[Urban climate|urban warming]] effect but the [[West Pennine Moors]] in the northwest, [[South Pennines]] in the northeast and [[Peak District]] in the east receive more snow, and roads leading out of the county can be closed due to heavy snowfall.<ref name="Snow">{{cite web |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/roads-chaos-as-snow-sweeps-in-1058608 |title=Roads chaos as snow sweeps in Manchester |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |date=Feb 24, 2005 |first1= Don |last1=Frame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184529/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/147/147321_roads_chaos_as_snow_sweeps_in.html |archive-date=30 September 2007}} Retrieved on 15 July 2007.</ref> They include the [[A62 road]] via [[Standedge]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Snow: West Yorkshire traffic and travel latest |url=http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/snow-west-yorkshire-traffic-and-travel-latest-1-1925071 |website=Halifax Courier |date=2 February 2009 |access-date=7 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110005011/http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/snow-west-yorkshire-traffic-and-travel-latest-1-1925071 |archive-date=10 November 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[M62 motorway#Milnrow to Outlane|Pennine section of the M62]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Live: M62 motorway closed and 20 miles of queues as snow and high winds return to Greater Manchester |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/live-m62-motorway-closed-and-20-1217237 |website=Manchester Evening News |date=4 April 2012 |access-date=7 January 2018 |archive-date=10 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110005027/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/live-m62-motorway-closed-and-20-1217237 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[A57 road|A57]], [[Snake Pass]], towards [[Sheffield]].<ref name="Peaks">{{cite web |url=http://www.highpeak.co.uk/hp/h_snakbd.htm |title= Snake Pass |work=Peak District sightseer's guide |publisher=High Peak Interactive |year=2002 |access-date=6 July 2007 |archive-date=12 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112081929/http://www.highpeak.co.uk/hp/h_snakbd.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> At the most southern point of Greater Manchester, Woodford's [[Met Office]] weather station recorded a temperature of {{cvt|-17.6|C}} on [[Winter of 2009-2010 in the United Kingdom|8 January 2010]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8444862.stm |title=Icy conditions hit the UK after days of heavy snow |work=BBC News |date=7 January 2010 |access-date=7 January 2010 |archive-date=20 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220000151/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8444862.stm |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Manchester weatherbox}}

===Flora and fauna===
{{See also|List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater Manchester|North West Green Belt}}
[[File:Common cottongrass at Light Hazzles Reservoir.jpg|thumb|right|[[Eriophorum angustifolium|Common cottongrass]] (''Eriophorum angustifolium''), seen here at Light Hazzles Reservoir near [[Littleborough, Greater Manchester|Littleborough]], was voted the [[County flowers of the United Kingdom|county flower]] of Greater Manchester in 2002.]]
Contrary to its reputation for urban sprawl,<ref name=gmbp/>{{sfn|Hardy|1998|p=7}} Greater Manchester has [[Green belt (United Kingdom)|green belt]] constraining [[Urbanization|urban drift]], and a "wide and varied range" of wildlife and natural habitats.<ref name=gmbp/> For instance, the wooded valleys of Bolton, Bury and Stockport, the [[moorland]]s north and east of Rochdale, Oldham and Stalybridge, and the [[reed bed]]s between Wigan and Leigh, harbour flora and fauna of national importance.<ref name=gmbp>{{cite web |url=http://www.gmbp.org.uk/site/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=26 |title=Greater Manchester Biodiversity |publisher=gmbp.org.uk |access-date=7 September 2012 |archive-date=18 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518043310/http://www.gmbp.org.uk/site/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=26 |url-status=live}}</ref> Mature woodland, scrubland, grassland, high moorland, mossland, agricultural land, lakes, wetlands, river valleys, embankments, urban parks and suburban gardens are habitats found in Greater Manchester which further contribute to biodiversity.{{sfn|Hardy|1998|p=7}} The Greater Manchester Ecology Unit classifies [[Site of Biological Importance|Sites of Biological Importance]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wildaboutmanchester.info/www/index.php/sites-of-biological-importance |title=Sites of Biological Importance |publisher=wildaboutmanchester.info |author=[[Manchester City Council]] |access-date=7 September 2012 |archive-date=27 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627091704/http://www.wildaboutmanchester.info/www/index.php/sites-of-biological-importance |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 21 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Greater Manchester, and the {{cvt|12.1|sqmi|km2|abbr=out}} of [[common land]] in Greater Manchester<ref name=commons>{{cite web |url=http://archive.defra.gov.uk/rural/documents/protected/common-land/biosurvey-gmanchester.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031124636/http://archive.defra.gov.uk/rural/documents/protected/common-land/biosurvey-gmanchester.pdf |archive-date=31 October 2012 |title=The Commonlands of Greater Manchester: A Biological Survey |publisher=defra.gov.uk |author=Defra |authorlink=Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |editor=Aitchison, J.W. |year=2002 |access-date=7 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> are of particular interest to organisations such as the Greater Manchester Local Record Centre, the Greater Manchester Biodiversity Project and the Manchester Field Club, which are dedicated to [[wildlife conservation]] and the preservation of the region's [[natural history]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gmwildlife.org.uk/ |title=Welcome to Greater Manchester LRC |publisher=gmwildlife.org.uk |access-date=7 September 2012 |author=Greater Manchester Local Record Centre |archive-date=23 December 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121223230029/http://www.gmwildlife.org.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gmbp.org.uk/site/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 |title=What is biodiversity? |publisher=gmbp.org.uk |access-date=7 September 2012 |author=Greater Manchester Biodiversity Project |archive-date=27 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627122703/http://www.gmbp.org.uk/site/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://webspace.mypostoffice.co.uk/~christine.walsh/ |title=Welcome to the Manchester Field Club |publisher=webspace.mypostoffice.co.uk |access-date=7 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625044452/http://webspace.mypostoffice.co.uk/~christine.walsh/ |archive-date=25 June 2013}}</ref> Among the SSSIs are [[Astley and Bedford Mosses]] which form a network of ancient [[peat bog]] on the fringe of [[Chat Moss]],<ref name=gmbp/> which in turn, at {{cvt|10.6|sqmi|km2|0}} comprises the largest area of prime farmland in Greater Manchester and contains the largest block of semi-natural woodland in the county.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/living/planning/naturalenvironment/landscape/chatmoss.htm |title=Chat Moss |author=Salford City Council |publisher=salford.gov.uk |year=2007 |access-date=13 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928043525/http://www.salford.gov.uk/living/planning/naturalenvironment/landscape/chatmoss.htm |archive-date=28 September 2008}}<br />•{{cite web |url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/environment/land-use/pdf/alcleaflet.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225145621/http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/environment/land-use/pdf/alcleaflet.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2009 |title=Agricultural Land Classification |date=July 2003 |publisher=[[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]] |access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref> The [[Wigan Flashes]], such as those at [[Pennington Flash Country Park]], are the by-product of coal mining, where subsidence has led to waterbodies collecting in the resulting hollows which form an important reed bed resource in Greater Manchester.<ref name=gmbp/> Opened in 1979, [[Sale Water Park]] is a {{cvt|152|acre|ha|0|adj=on}} area of countryside and parkland in Sale which includes a {{cvt|52|acre|ha|0|adj=on}} artificial lake by the [[River Mersey]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Appendix J River Mersey Case Study Report |publisher=The Countryside Agency |url=http://www.countryside.gov.uk/Images/Appendix%20J%20final_tcm2-19113.doc |format=[[DOC (computing)|DOC]] |access-date=27 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927203329/http://www.countryside.gov.uk/Images/Appendix%20J%20final_tcm2-19113.doc |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref>

[[Clover]], [[sorrel]], [[Urtica dioica|nettle]] and [[thistle]] are common, and grow wild in Greater Manchester.{{sfn|Hardy|1998|p=7}} [[Calluna|Common heather]] (''Calluna vulgaris'') dominates the uplands, such as [[Saddleworth Moor]], which lies within the [[South Pennines]] and [[Dark Peak]] area of the [[Peak District|Peak District National Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/sac.asp?EUcode=UK0030280 |title=South Pennine Moors |publisher=Defra |access-date=21 July 2012 |archive-date=12 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912165224/http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030280 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Rochdale Canal]] harbours [[floating water-plantain]] (''Luronium natams''), a nationally endangered aquatic plant.<ref name=gmbp/> In 2002, [[Plantlife|Plantlife International]] launched its [[county flowers of the United Kingdom|County Flowers campaign]], asking members of the public to nominate and vote for a wild flower emblem for their county. [[Eriophorum angustifolium|Common cottongrass]] (''Eriophorum angustifolium''), a plant with fluffy white plumes native to wet hollows on high moors, was announced as the county flower of Greater Manchester.<ref>{{cite web |title=So what bloom best suits you? |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/so-what-bloom-best-suits-you-1140849 |last=Lashley |first=Brian |access-date=7 September 2012 |date=20 March 2003 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305012950/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/so-what-bloom-best-suits-you-1140849 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/species/Cottongrass%272C+common/ |title=Species – Cottongrass, common |publisher=devonwildlifetrust.org |author=Devon Wildlife Trust |access-date=7 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626194134/http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/species/Cottongrass%272C%2Bcommon/ |archive-date=26 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.plantlife.org.uk/things_to_do/regions/north_west |publisher=plantlife.org.uk |title=North-west England |author=Plantlife International |authorlink=Plantlife |access-date=7 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501110914/http://www.plantlife.org.uk/things_to_do/regions/north_west/ |archive-date=1 May 2013}}</ref>

The [[house sparrow]], [[common starling|starling]], and [[common blackbird|blackbird]] are among the most populous bird species in Greater Manchester; [[Eurasian magpie|magpie]] and [[feral pigeon]] are common and breed in habitats across the county.{{sfn|Holland|Spence|Sutton|1984|pp=28–29}} Flocks of [[Feral parakeets in Great Britain|feral parakeets]] can be seen in many of south Manchester's parks,<ref name = EDLH>{{Cite web|last1=Davies|first1=Ella|last2=Hendry|first2=Lisa| date=2021-11-30|title=Wild parakeets in the UK: exotic delights or a potential problem?|url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/ring-necked-parakeets-in-london-and-uk.html|access-date=2023-08-01|website=[[Natural History Museum, London|nhm.ac.uk]]|language=en}}</ref> including Birchfields Park, [[Whitworth Park]] and [[Platt Fields Park]].<ref name = AW>{{Cite web|last=Watson|first=Alex|date=2020-04-14|title=The mysterious tale of the parrots of South Manchester|url=https://propermanchester.com/feature/the-mysterious-tale-of-the-parrots-of-south-manchester/|access-date=2023-08-01|website=propermanchester.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name = Walk>{{cite web|url=https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/visit/thenewgallery/walkinthepark/|title=Walk in the Park|access-date=2023-08-01|website=[[The Whitworth]]}}</ref><ref name = MCooper>{{Cite web|last=Cooper|first=Matthew|date=2019-02-16|title=Why are there so many parakeets in south Manchester? These are the wild theories that might just be true|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/many-parakeets-south-manchester-wild-15642144|access-date=2023-08-01|website=[[Manchester Evening News]]|language=en}}</ref> The birds' relocation to the UK has made them the country's "only naturalised parrot and the most northerly breeding parrot in the world".<ref name = MCooper/> The South Pennines also support internationally important numbers of [[European golden plover|golden plover]], [[Eurasian curlew|curlew]], [[Merlin (bird)|merlin]] and [[twite]].<ref name=commons/> A number of [[Red Eared Terrapin]]s, a species of small turtle, are known to inhabit the lake in [[Alexandra Park, Manchester|Alexandra Park]].<ref name = BB>{{Cite web|last=Brown|first=Ben|date=2021-03-02|title=Myths of Manchester: The Terrapins & Turtles of Alexandra Park|url=https://www.manchestersfinest.com/articles/myths-of-manchester-the-terrapins-turtles-of-alexandra-park/|access-date=2023-08-01|website=manchestersfinest.com|language=en}}</ref>