Plant species recorded in Bedfordshire for first time in restored quarry land
Local expert plant surveyors found a liverwort called Weedy Frillwort in the ‘Mars-like’ landscape of the Sandy Heath Quarry.
A plant species has been recorded in Bedfordshire for the first time as conservation efforts create a “Mars-like” landscape at a working sand quarry.
Local expert plant surveyors found a liverwort called Weedy Frillwort – a tiny 5mm-long flowerless plant with frilly yellow-green lobe leaves – in a restored area of the Sandy Heath Quarry.
It was found alongside other rare species of mosses, lichens and fungi.
The quarry, which is owned by sustainable construction solutions firm Tarmac, is located near the RSPB The Lodge nature reserve.
Peter Bradley, senior site manager at RSPB The Lodge, said: “The landscape at the quarry really is quite literally awesome – parts look like the surface of Mars!
“Helping to bring life to this landscape with Tarmac is truly inspiring, as we work together to produce the many different habitats for nature at this site.
“The discovery of this liverwort, a first for Bedfordshire, along with so many other rare species, shows how thoughtful restoration of quarries can provide the right conditions for nature to thrive.”
A colony of sand martins have been returning to the site from their wintering grounds in Africa each spring to breed, thanks to a sandy cliff that was created at the edge of the quarry, the RSPB said.
The birds are not disturbed by the sound of nearby quarrying and can be seen swooping in and out of their burrows as they leave to catch flying insects, then return to feed their young, it added.
At the restored site, acid grasslands have acted as a place for pollinating insects to feed and breed, woodland has provided a home for a wide variety of birds, and heathland allows linnets to breed among the gorse bushes.
Meanwhile, arable land is planted with winter seed crops which form a “living bird table” to help to feed birds through the winter, such as reed bunting, linnet, chaffinch, brambling, meadow pipit, skylark, and grey partridge.
Enrique Moranmontero, national restoration manager at Tarmac, said: “Sandy Heath Quarry is a great example of how mineral operations and conservation organisations can join forces, securing the products needed for our day-to-day life and having a positive impact for nature.
“It is very exciting to see how the site keeps evolving and new species establish there.”
