About the reserve

This former quarry is owned by Longcliffe Quarries and has been gradually returning to nature. For a moderately small site it packs in a lot of different habitats and therefore a great variety of wildlife.

There are some lovely areas of limestone grassland bursting with flowers, some small ponds which provide a place for frogs, toads and newts to breed and areas of marshy grassland which will be full of insects once the summer is here.

It’s a great place for butterflies, common blue, dark green fritillary and orange tip butterflies are all found here, along with the less common small heath and dingy skipper butterflies. There are plenty of moths here too including the shaded broad-bar and cinnabar moths.

Areas of woodland and scrub provide ideal nesting sites for blackcap and whitethroat whilst skylarks breed in the long grassland.