Look closely as you walk around the quarry

The poor calcareous soil on the quarry spoil banks are ideal for supporting wildflowers that are not so readily spotted elsewhere in the local area. The plants in the picture gallery can only thrive where not trodden, so look beyond the path edges and in areas where the vegetation has not been disturbed.

The kidney vetch is a plant that is scarce and is much needed to support the small blue butterfly. The larvae of this butterfly only feed on this one plant variety. The plant has to seed into disturbed ground that has bare patches, as it cannot compete with more vigorous wild flowers and grasses. Newbold quarry has a long way to go to build up a meaningful population of this vetch.