Bloody Oaks Quarry

Selected Wild Place / Other Wild Places / Public Rights of Way / VC55 boundary

Status

Nature Reserve (Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust

Site of Special Scientific Interest

Managed By
Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust
Wild places

Total species seen at this site:

Description

This small reserve (1.3 ha) is owned by the Leicestershire and Rutland Trust and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The principal habitat is the species-rich limestone grassland, which is rare in the two counties. 

Also known as Roundstone Hill, this site is mentioned in Wildflowers of Chalk and Limestone by J.E.Lousley  (1950) as an old working of great interest. The quarry site is partly restored and comprises a long disused shallow pit dug into the Upper Lincolnshire oolitic limestone series. Although little is known of its history, it was mentioned as a quarry in 1884 when the first edition of the 25 inch Ordnance Survey map was published.

Areas of scrub, with mature Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna in addition to more unusual species such as Spindle Euonymus europaeus and Buckthorn Rhamnus carthartica established themselves during the 20th century, but species-rich calcareous grassland also developed. During the 1990s much of the scrub was removed and the grassland was then managed by a combination of mowing and sheep grazing.

Wildlife Highlights

Much of the grassland is dominated by Tor-grass Brachypodium pinnatum, but there are also many other species present, including a number of local rarities. These include Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis, Yellow-wort Blackstonia perfoliata, Clustered Bellflower Campanula glomerata, Carline Thistle Carlina vulgaris, Basil Thyme Clinopodium acinos, Autumn Gentian Gentianella amarella, Meadow Oat-grass Avenula pratensis, Horseshoe Vetch Hippocrepis comosa, Common Gromwell  Lithospermum officinale, Small Scabious Scabiosa columbaria and Mat-grass Fescue Vulpia unilateralis. Chalk Milkwort Polygala calcarea is frequent and occurs here near the northern limit of its range in Britain. Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea has only been seen once, in 1959.

 

The records and images below may include those from adjacent sites if the grid reference submitted with these records overlaps the boundary of this Wild Place.

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