Plant species recorded in Bedfordshire for first time in restored quarry land

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.

The RSPB and Tarmac have been working together since the early 2000s to restore quarried areas into 80 hectares of wildlife-friendly land, providing a home for a diversity of species and allowing nature to reclaim the land.

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.”

The restoration work has to date created a selection of wildlife-friendly habitats including large swathes of bare sand, rocks and cliffs – ideal for species such as spider-hunting wasps and solitary bees.

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.

The RSPB said that gradually converting some of the woodlands in the area from conifers to native broad-leaved woodland will support more native wildlife such as spotted flycatchers, woodpeckers, nuthatch and tawny owls.

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.”