Sunday 22 June 2014

Fir Hill Quarry

On Friday 20 June 2014 the Louth Area Group had a field meeting at Fir Hill Quarry.  



Claire Weaver from Natural England gave us an informative “interactive evening” following the story of the Lincolnshire Wolds from the formation of the Chalk, through the ice age, the era of woolly mammoths, early man with flint tools, the introduction of farming, the Romans, and through medieval times to Enclosure. On the way we examined chalk and flints, handled a replica Bronze Age sword and identified wild flowers. Lovely weather - a pleasant evening!
Ruth Gattenby




The picture shows an abundance of Hogweed in bloom but below this grows a rich assemblage typical of chalkland flora.  It includes Pyramidal and Common Spotted Orchid, Cowslip, Agrimony, Kidney Vetch, Lady's Bedstraw, Wild Marjoram, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Eyebright, Bladder Campion, Rough Hawkbit, Herb Robert, Hedge Woundwort, and, in the shaded entrance path, the Wood Sedge, Carex sylvestris.

A profusion of ash seedlings suggests a possibility for a volunteer working party next winter to do a little scrub clearance, lest the quarry becomes wooded rather than a refuge for the chalk meadow flora.
Biff Vernon


Common Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii 

No comments:

Post a Comment