Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust

The Wildlife Trusts partnership

The Wildlife Trusts is an organisation made up of 47 local Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom plus the Isle of Man and Alderney.The Wildlife Trusts, between them, look after around 2,300 nature reserves covering more than 90,000 hectares...

covering the counties of Leicestershire

Leicestershire

Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...

and Rutland

Rutland

Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Founded in 1956, (originally under the name "Leicestershire and Rutland Trust for Nature Conservation") the trust now has 9,000 members helping care for over 30 nature reserve

Nature reserve

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

s covering more than 2600 acres (11 km²) across the region. The best known of these nature reserves is the Rutland Water Nature Reserve

Rutland Water

Rutland Water is Anglian Water's drinking water reservoir in the county of Rutland, England, just east of the county town Oakham. It was known as Empingham Reservoir during its construction and until its official opening in 1976. The centre of its dam is at British national grid reference...

, managed on behalf of Anglian Water

Anglian Water

Anglian Water is a privatised water company that operates in the East of England. Named for East Anglia, apart from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire it also covers Lincolnshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, a small part of north Nottinghamshire and Greater London...

. With over 10,000 waterfowl

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

of up to 28 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

.

LRWT also campaigns for wildlife, protecting threatened habitats like wild flower meadows and threatened species

Threatened species

Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...

such as osprey

Osprey

The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...

s, otter

Otter

The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....

s and water voles. By holding activities and events such as orchid rambles and birdwatching fairs

British Birdwatching Fair

The British Birdwatching Fair or Birdfair is an annual event for birdwatchers, held every August at Rutland Water in England. It is described as the birder's "Glastonbury"....

, the trust gives people of all ages the chance to experience local wildlife. The Trust also advises landowners on important nature conservation issues.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust is based in Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

and is managed by an elected Council of Trustees. It is a registered charity (no.210531) and a company limited by guarantee (no.561833). The Trust's work is done by over 20 professional staff and 400 active volunteers, who help with the conservation and with essential fundraising

Fundraising

Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...

events. The trust's patron and vice-president is Sir David Attenborough

David Attenborough

Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...

Nature Reserves

The following is a list of some of the reserves currently managed by the trust.

Blacksmith's Field
—52.692266°N 1.283115°W

This 2.2 hectares (5.4 acre) reserve is located about 13 kilometres (8 mi) north-west of Leicester on the outskirts of Markfield

Markfield

Markfield is a commuter village sitting within both the National Forest and Charnwood Forest and in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. The settlement dates back to at least the time of the Norman conquest and is mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name...

. It is owned by LRWT and is a Regionally Important Geological Site

Regionally Important Geological Site

Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Sites are locally designated sites of local, national and regional importance for geodiversity in the United Kingdom. RIGS may be designated for their value to Earth Science, and to Earth heritage in general, and may include cultural,...

. The main habitat is rough heath-grassland, with scrub, drystone walls and 600-700 million year old rock outcrops. Notable species include mat-grass, heath bedstraw

Galium

Galium is a large genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Rubiaceae, with 617 known species occurring in the temperate zones of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Most species are known as bedstraw. G...

and tormentil

Tormentil

Common Tormentil is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the rose family , also known as Septfoil or simply as "tormentil" .-Characteristics:It is a low, clumb-forming plant with slender, procumbent...

, as well as several species of lichen

Lichen

Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...

that are uncommon in Leicestershire.

Bloody Oaks Quarry
—52.686657°N 0.565687°W

Despite its small size (1.2 hectares (3 acre)) this former quarry, disused since 1957, is rich in species. It is cut into the Upper Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

oolitic

Oolite

Oolite is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Hellenic word òoion for egg. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 mm; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisolites...

limestone and now provides a limestone-grassland habitat which is rare in the two counties. Species present include horseshoe vetch, yellow-wort, autumn gentian

Gentian

Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family , tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species, it is considered a large genus.-Habitat:...

and both bee

Bee Orchid

The Bee Orchid is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae.-Etymology:The name "Ophrys" derives from the Greek word "ophrys", meaning "eyebrow", while the Latin name of the species "apifera" refers to the bee-shaped lip.-Description: The Bee Orchid grows to a height of ....

and pyramidal orchid

Pyramidal orchid

The Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis, is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Genus Anacamptis of the family Orchidaceae...

s. Common lizard

Viviparous lizard

The viviparous lizard or common lizard is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other reptile species, and most populations are viviparous , rather than laying eggs as most other lizards do.-Identification:The length of the body is less than...

s are often seen.

Brown's Hill Quarry
—52.803950°N 0.902529°W

This site is next to both North Quarry and Holwell Mineral Line, roughly 5 kilometres (3 mi) north of Melton Mowbray

Melton Mowbray

Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...

. All three reserves are owned by the trust. Brown's Hill is a Regionally Important Geological Site

Regionally Important Geological Site

due to its exposed Middle Lias Marlstone and Upper Lias Paper Shales. Habitats include some bare rock faces and slopes and spoil heaps, now colonised by herb-rich grassland. Management of the site is aimed at preventing dominant grasses and scrub from crowding out grassland plants, such as common spotted orchid

Common spotted orchid

The Common Spotted-orchid is acommonly occurring species of European orchid. It is widely variable in colour and height, ranging from 15 to 60 cm in height. The flower colour can vary from white to pale purple with purple spots. The lip has three lobes...

s, perforate St John's wort

St John's wort

St John's wort is the plant species Hypericum perforatum, and is also known as Tipton's Weed, Chase-devil, or Klamath weed....

, hare's-foot clover, meadow vetchling and viper's bugloss. Dingy skipper

Dingy Skipper

The Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It ranges from Europe across Asia Minor and Central Asia to the Amur region.Erynnis tages favours open grassy habitats up to 2,000 metres above sea level...

, green hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

The Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.Callophrys rubi is found in Europe, North Africa, Russia, Asia Minor, Siberia, Amurland , Baluchistan and Chitral....

and common blue

Common Blue

The Common Blue is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, widespread over much of the Palaearctic. Recently, Polyommatus icarus was discovered in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada by Ara Sarafian, an amateur entomologist who observed the butterfly from 2005 to 2008...

butterflies have been recorded, as have Natterer's

Natterer's bat

Natterer's bat is a European bat with pale wings. It has brown fur, also seen on the leg wing membrane, tending to white on its underside...

, Daubenton's

Daubenton's bat

Daubenton's Bat, Myotis daubentonii, is a Eurasian bat with quite short ears. It ranges from Britain to Japan and is considered to be increasing its numbers in many areas.The name commemorates the French naturalist Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton....

, brown long-eared

Brown long-eared bat

The brown long-eared bat or common long-eared bat is a fairly large European bat. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold...

and pipistrelle

Common Pipistrelle

The Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus is a small pipistrelle bat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, southwestern Asia, and possibly into Korea. It is one of the most common bat species in the British Isles....

bats.

Charley Woods
—52.7292°N 1.295837°W

Situated about 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) north-west of Copt Oak

Copt Oak

Copt Oak is a place in Leicestershire in England. It is in the North West Leicestershire district, near Bawdon Lodge, Charley and Ulverscroft.In its name, "cop" is an old English word for "head", i.e...

the reserve consists of Burrow Wood, Cat Wood and the field in-between, for a total of 26.67 hectares (65.9 acre). Both woods are ancient woodland

Ancient woodland

Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...

s, dominated by pedunculate oak. Also present is an understorey of holly

Holly

Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....

and rowan

Rowan

The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...

, some of which rival the oak in size. Management of the site is aimed at the removal of non-native species and the creation of a link between the woods, by encouraging natural regeneration in the field that separates them. Burrow wood is noted for its rich displays of bluebells

Common Bluebell

Hyacinthoides non-scripta, commonly known as the common bluebell, is a spring-flowering bulbous perennial plant. -Taxonomy:...

Charnwood Lodge
—52.733256°N 1.317527°W

One of the earliest reserves established by LRWT, Charnwood Lodge covers 227 hectares (560.9 acre), much of which has SSSI status. It is a National Nature Reserve

National Nature Reserve

For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...

. It has a variety of habitats, including heath grassland, acid grassland, mixed woodland and wet areas dominated by sphagnum

Sphagnum

Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...

moss. Scrub is controlled by grazing and ongoing efforts control bracken

Bracken

Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...

, rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...

and sycamore. Features of interest include 600 million year old Precambrian

Precambrian

The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...

rock outcrops and plant species such as bog pimpernel

Anagallis

Anagallis is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering plants in the myrsine family Myrsinaceae, commonly called pimpernel and perhaps best known for the Scarlet pimpernel referred to in literature...

, climbing corydalis

Corydalis

Corydalis is a genus of about 470 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the fumewort family , native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical eastern Africa...

, lemon-scented fern

Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

and marsh violet

Viola palustris

Viola palustris is a perennial forb of the genus Viola. It inhabits moist meadows, marshes, and streambanks in northern parts of North America and Eurasia....

, some of which are scarce in the two counties. Other species recorded include curlew

Curlew

The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...

, wheatear

Wheatear

The wheatears are passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe. They were formerly considered to be members of the thrush family Turdidae, but are now more commonly placed in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae...

, tree pipit

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit, Anthus trivialis, is a small passerine bird which breeds across most of Europe and temperate western and central Asia. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Africa and southern Asia....

, holly blue

Holly Blue

The Holly Blue , is a butterfly that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family and is native to Eurasia and North America.In India, it is known as the Hill Hedge Blue...

butterflies and noctule bats.

Cloud Wood
—52.789014°N 1.38236°W

Situated in north-west Leicestershire, about 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) south-east of the village of Breedon on the Hill

Breedon on the Hill

Breedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish about north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The parish adjoins the Derbyshire county boundary and the village is only about south of the Derbyshire town of Melbourne. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 958...

. The site covers 33 hectares (81.5 acre) and is part of a SSSI. Cloud is an ancient woodland, founded on boulder clay

Boulder clay

Boulder clay, in geology, is a deposit of clay, often full of boulders, which is formed in and beneath glaciers and ice-sheets wherever they are found, but is in a special sense the typical deposit of the Glacial Period in northern Europe and North America...

and keuper marl

Marl

Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...

. Coppicing has been re-introduced to the wood, to encourage such locally rare species as herb paris

Paris quadrifolia

Paris quadrifolia is a species of the genus Paris in the family Melanthiaceae, although authorities formerly regarded it as part of the Liliaceae family. It is related to Trillium, with which it can be confused...

, violet helleborine

Epipactis

Epipactis, or Helleborine, is a genus of terrestrial orchids consisting of approximately 70 species. This genus is abbreviated as Epcts in horticultural trade.They occur in temperate and subtropical climates of America, Asia, and Europe...

, greater butterfly orchid and Solomon's seal

Polygonatum

Polygonatum , King Solomon's-seal or Solomon's Seal, is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae...

Cossington Meadows

The largest of the River Soar

River Soar

The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...

valley reserves, at 75.7 hectares (187.1 acre), Cossington

Cossington, Leicestershire

thumb|right|Cossington parish churchCossington is a village within the Soar Valley in Leicestershire. It lies between Sileby, Rothley, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake and Syston....

Meadows is also one of the newest LRWT reserves. Formerly a gravel pit, current management is aimed at encouraging the spread of wetland plant species by means of natural flooding and taking hay crops to reduce the fertility of the soil. Bird life seen includes gadwall

Gadwall

The Gadwall is a common and widespread duck of the family Anatidae.- Description :The Gadwall is 46–56 cm long with a 78–90 cm wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, weighing on average 990 g against her 850 g...

, great crested grebe

Great Crested Grebe

The Great Crested Grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds.- Description :The Great Crested Grebe is long with a wingspan. It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations...

and little ringed plover

Little Ringed Plover

The Little Ringed Plover is a small plover. Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes with white above and a short dark bill...

. Wetland plants already colonising the site include purple loosestrife

Purple loosestrife

Lythrum salicaria is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae, native to Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and southeastern Australia. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the family Primulaceae...

, ragged robin

Ragged Robin

Lychnis flos-cuculi, commonly called Ragged Robin, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is species is native to Europe, where it is found along roads and in wet meadows and pastures...

and flowering rush.

Cribb's Meadow
—52.759778°N 0.668504°W

Situated about 5 kilometres (3 mi) from Wymondham

Wymondham

Wymondham is a historic market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies 9.5 miles to the south west of the city of Norwich, on the A11 road to Thetford and London.- Before The Great Fire :...

village, Cribb's Meadow is both a SSSI and a National Nature Reserve. A small reserve, at 5 hectares (12.4 acre) its main habitat is grassland, on calcareous clay. There are ponds with great crested newts

Great Crested Newt

The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...

. Flora include adder's tongue

Ophioglossum

Ophioglossum is a genus of about 25-30 species of Ophioglossales in the family Ophioglossaceae, with a cosmopolitan but primarily tropical and subtropical distribution. The name Ophioglossum comes from the Greek, and means "snake-tongue".Adders-tongues are so-called because the spore-bearing stalk...

, water avens

Water Avens

Geum rivale, the Water Avens, is a flowering plant of the family Rosaceae. Other names for the plant are Nodding Avens, Drooping Avens, Cure All and Water Flower. It is native to much of Europe, with the exception of Mediterranean areas, as well as some parts of Central Asia and North...

, green-winged orchid

Green-winged Orchid

The Green-winged Orchid or Green-veined Orchid is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae....

, agrimony

Agrimony

Agrimonia, commonly known as Agrimony, is a genus of 12-15 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with one species also in Africa...

and great burnet

Sanguisorba officinalis

Sanguisorba officinalis is a plant in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. It is native throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America....

. The name commemorates the boxer Tom Cribb

Tom Cribb

Tom Cribb was an English bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century, so successful that he became world champion. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.-Life:...

who fought the American Tom Molineaux

Tom Molineaux

Tom Molineaux was a African-American bare-knuckle boxer. He spent much of his career in Great Britain and Ireland, where he had some notable successes.-Early life:...

for the heavyweight championship of England close by at Thistleton Gap

Thistleton

Thistleton is the most northerly village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.The Thistleton area has shown evidence of Romano-British occupation including a large temple precinct and a possible small market settlement...

on 28 September 1811.

Croft Pasture (Stephen Bishop Memorial Reserve)
—52.558110°N 1.245°W

Named for the former Hon. Scientific Officer for the trust, this reserve occupies 5.75 hectares (14.2 acre) either side of the River Soar. It is a SSSI. Habitats include the river and its banks, as well as neutral and siliceous (sandy) grassland. Several uncommon grassland plants are found, including meadow clary

Salvia pratensis

Salvia pratensis is a herbaceous perennial in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa. The specific epithet pratensis refers to its tendency to grow in meadows...

, upright chickweed

Upright chickweed

The Erect Chickweed , also called Upright Chickweed , is a small annual plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It can grow to over 10 cm in height, but it is usually smaller. It has blue-green glaucous leaves, and small, delicate white flowers...

, meadow saxifrage

Saxifrage

Saxifraga is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 440 species of Holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages. The Latin word saxifraga means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin + ...

, common stork's-bill and subterranean clover

Subterranean clover

Trifolium subterraneum, the Subterranean clover often shortened to sub clover, is a species of clover native to northwestern Europe, from Ireland east to Belgium...

Dimminsdale
—52.792216°N 1.444628°W

Located at the head - southern end - of Staunton Harold reservoir

Staunton Harold Reservoir

Staunton Harold Reservoir is a large reservoir under the management of Severn Trent Water, located between Melbourne and Ticknall in Derbyshire, England...

, on the borders of Leicestershire and Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

covers 23.5 hectares (58.1 acre) within a SSSI. A former lead

Lead

Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

and limestone mine, it now consists of heath grassland and broadleaved woodland. Old mine pits form deep pools, which are fed by streams. Plant species in the meadow area include sheep's fescue

Sheep's Fescue

Sheep's Fescue or Sheep Fescue is a species of grass.-General Description:It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, for example in the Portlethen Moss, Scotland and mountain pasture, throughout Europe and eastwards across much of Asia; it has also been introduced to North...

, heath grass, heath bedstraw

Galium

and harebell

Harebell

Campanula rotundifolia is a rhizomatous perennial flowering plant in the bellflower family native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.In Scotland, it is often known as the Bluebell...

. In early spring large numbers of snowdrops flower, in the south-western end of the reserve.

Great Merrible Wood
—52.558825°N 0.768888°W

Lying in the Eye Brook

Eye Brook

The Eye Brook is a river in the East Midlands of England, a tributary of the River Welland. It is around long.Rising near Tilton on the Hill or Skeffington in Leicestershire, it flows east. Near where it crosses the A47, it starts to form the county boundary between Leicestershire and Rutland, and...

valley, Great Merrible is a 12 hectares (29.7 acre) ancient woodland, a part of the Eye Brook Valley Woods SSSI. The canopy consists of ash and pedunculate oak, with a shrub layer of hazel and field maple. As well as spectacular displays of bluebells in spring, a number of unusual plant species are found, such as herb paris, broad-leaved helleborine

Epipactis

and violet helleborine

Epipactis

Holwell Mineral Line
—52.803131°N 0.906362°W

Sited alongside Brown's Hill and North Quarry, the reserve consists of 0.8 kilometre (0.497098189319845 mi) of former railway line, which was used to transport ironstone

Ironstone

Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...

to works in nearby Holwell. It has a range of habitats, including rough grassland, scrub, marsh and young woodland. Management involves cutting back scrub (mostly sallow

Willow

Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...

) to encourage the rich herb layer, with plants such as ragged-robin, marsh thistle

Cirsium palustre

Cirsium palustre, the marsh thistle or European swamp thistle, is a herbaceous biennial species of the genus Cirsium. It is a tall thistle which reaches up to in height. The strong stems have few branches and are covered in small spines...

and common toadflax

Linaria vulgaris

Linaria vulgaris is a species of toadflax , native to most of Europe and northern Asia, from the United Kingdom south to Spain in the west, and east to eastern Siberia and western China...

. 142 plant species have been recorded.

Kelham Bridge
—52.704593°N 1.398352°W

Covering 8.1 hectares (20 acre) in north-west Leicestershire, Kelham Bridge was once used for sewage disposal. It has been restored to provide rich habitats along the river Sence

River Sence

The River Sence is a river in Leicestershire, England. The tributaries of the Sence including the Saint and Tweed fan out over much of western Leicestershire from Charnwood Forest and Coalville in the north-east to Hinckley and almost to Watling Street in the south and south-west...

, which meanders through the site. The reed beds provide cover for reed

Reed Warbler

The Eurasian Reed Warbler, or just Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into temperate western Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....

, sedge

Sedge Warbler

The Sedge Warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge Warblers are migratory, crossing the Sahara to get from their European and Asian breeding grounds to spend winter in Africa...

and grasshopper warblers

Grasshopper Warbler

The Grasshopper Warbler, Locustella naevia, is an Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus Locustella. It breeds across much of temperate Europe and Asia. It is migratory, wintering from northwest Africa to India....

, as well as water shrews

Eurasian Water Shrew

The Eurasian Water Shrew, Neomys fodiens, known in the United Kingdom as the Water Shrew, is a relatively large shrew, up to long, with a tail up to three-quarters as long again. It has short dark fur, often with a few white tufts, a white belly, and a few stiff hairs around the feet and tail...

and otters

European Otter

The European Otter , also known as the Eurasian otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter and Old World otter, is a European and Asian member of the Lutrinae or otter subfamily, and is typical of freshwater otters....

. 15 species of dragonfly have been recorded and 19 species of butterfly. Kelham Bridge is noted for its raptors, with notable sightings including merlin

Merlin (bird)

The Merlin is a small species of falcon from the Northern Hemisphere. A bird of prey once known colloquially as a pigeon hawk in North America, the Merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter.-European and North American...

, osprey

Osprey

The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...

and all three British species of harrier

Harrier (bird)

A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds....

Ketton Quarry
—52.637105°N 0.556965°W

Formed from 27.5 hectares (68 acre) of worked-out limestone

Ketton stone

Ketton stone is a Jurassic oolitic limestone used as a building stone for many centuries. It is named after the village of Ketton in Rutland, England....

mine, Ketton is a SSSI, located near the village of the same name

Ketton

Ketton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about eight miles east of Oakham and three miles west of Stamford in Lincolnshire...

. The pits and hills have been colonised by calcerous grassland plants and scrub, including Bee Orchid

Bee Orchid

, yellow-wort and autumn gentian. Adder

Vipera berus

Vipera berus, the common European adder or common European viper, is a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia. Known by a host of common names including Common adder and Common viper, adders have been...

s are often seen and glow worms display in season. The site contains the only known colony of yellow bird's nest

Monotropa hypopitys

Monotropa hypopitys, also known as Dutchman's Pipe, Yellow Bird's-nest or Pinesap, is a herbaceous perennial plant, formerly classified in the families Monotropaceae or Pyrolaceae, but now included within the subfamily Monotropoidiae of the blueberry family...

in the two counties. This unusual plant has no chlorophyll

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...

, living instead by parasitism

Parasitism

Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...

upon fungi.

Launde Woods
—52.62494°N 0.84102°W (Big Wood) & 52.625322°N 0.8143°W (Park Wood)

These two ancient woodland reserves are located between Launde

Launde

Launde is a civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, bordering Rutland. The parish is the site of Launde Abbey. It gives its name to an electoral division of Leicestershire that stretches all the way from Scraptoft, Thurnby and Stoughton, near Leicester, to the border with...

and Loddington. The Park Wood covers 54.4 hectares (134.4 acre) while the Big Wood covers 40.4 hectares (99.8 acre) and is a SSSI. Both are ancient woodlands. The Big Wood is dominated by pedunculate oak, ash, hazel and field maple. The ground flora is extremely rich, with sweet woodruff, golden saxifrage

Saxifrage

and nettle-leaved bellflower

Campanula

Campanula is one of several genera in the family Campanulaceae with the common name bellflower. It takes its name from their bell-shaped flowers—campanula is Latin for "little bell"....

all present. Badgers

Eurasian Badger

The European Badger is a species of badger of the genus Meles, native to almost all of Europe. It is classed as Least Concern for extinction by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and large population....

have excavated several setts and white letter

White-letter Hairstreak

The White-letter Hairstreak is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.-Appearance, behaviour and distribution:A dark little butterfly that spends the majority of its life in the tree tops, feeding on honeydew, making it best observed through binoculars. The uppersides are a dark brown with a small...

and purple hairstreak

Purple Hairstreak

The Purple Hairstreak Neozephyrus quercus is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae distributed throughout much of Europe. North Africa, Asia Minor, Caucasus and Transcaucasia....

butterflies are seen. The Park Wood has clear felled within the last fifty years and planted with non-native conifers. Management of the site is aimed at removing these, so that native trees might re-colonise the wood. Nonetheless, early purple orchids

Early Purple Orchid

Orchis mascula, the Early Purple Orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus Orchis.-Etymology:The specific name is derived from the Latin "masculus", meaning "male" or "virile" and it should refer to the robust aspect of this species or to the shape of the tubers, similar to a pair of...

are frequently seen and the rare fragrant agrimony

Agrimony

grows beside the rides.

Lea Meadows
—52.699265°N 1.251924°W

This 12 hectares (29.7 acre) reserve is part of a SSSI and has a mix of neutral to slightly acid meadow and some marshy ground. The stream running through the reserve is very clean and is habitat for many invertebrates. Pignut grows here, providing food for the chimney sweeper moth. The site incorporates the remains of a medieval assart

Assarting

Assarting is the act of clearing forested lands for use in agriculture or other purposes. In English law, it was illegal to assart any part of a Royal forest...

and evidence of ploughing, which comprise a Scheduled Ancient Monument

Scheduled Ancient Monument

In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...

Loughborough Big Meadow
—52.7915°N 1.203°W

The reserve is an unimproved hay meadow, covering 30.6 hectares (75.6 acre) and part of a SSSI. It is periodically flooded by the River Soar

River Soar

. Plant species include great burnet, and pepper saxifrage, as well as being the only site in the county for narrow-leaved water dropwort, which is nationally scarce.

Lucas Marsh
—52.591924°N 1.085127°W

This small marsh was formed by excavation for building materials at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. It is part of Brock's Hill Country Park, where LRWT is based. Habitats include reed beds, ponds and scrub. The reed beds are dominated by great willowherb

Epilobium

Epilobium is a genus in the family Onagraceae, containing about 160-200 species of flowering plants with a worldwide distribution. They are generally abundant in the subarctic, temperate and subantarctic regions, whereas in the subtropics and tropics they are restricted to the cool montane biomes,...

and common reed

Phragmites

Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...

with other species present including blunt-flowered reed and water figwort

Scrophularia

The genus Scrophularia of the family Scrophulariaceae comprises about 200 species of herbaceous flowering plants commonly known as figworts. Species of Scrophularia all share square stems, opposite leaves and open two-lipped flowers forming clusters at the end of their stems...

. A variety of birds have bred, including kingfishers

European Kingfisher

The Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, also known as Eurasian Kingfisher or River Kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa...

Lyddington Meadow
—52.546111°N 0.695625°W

Located close to the village of the same name

Lyddington

Lyddington is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. There are two public houses, The Marquess of Exeter and The Old White Hart....

, Lyddington Meadow covers 1.3 hectares (3.2 acre) of semi-improved grassland, subject to occasional flooding. The plants species found, such as great burnet and meadow foxtail

Meadow Foxtail

Alopecurus pratensis, known as the Meadow Foxtail or the Field Meadow Foxtail, is a perennial grass, belonging to the grass family . It is native to Europe and Asia....

, are typical of grassland in river valleys.

Merry's Meadows
—52.731256°N 0.611611°W

This 12.6 hectares (31.1 acre) SSSI, near the village of Greetham, Rutland

Greetham, Rutland

Greetham is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.It on the B668 between the county town of Oakham and the A1 and on the north-south Viking Way long distance footpath running between the Humber Bridge and Oakham....

, owes much of its wildlife to the attitude of its former owner George Merry, who for decades managed the site, without fertilisers or herbicides. Management by grazing and hay cutting continues. The dry, neutral grassland is highly species rich, with many orchids, such as green-winged orchid, common and heath spotted orchids and the rare frog orchid

Frog Orchid

The Frog Orchid, or Coeloglossum viride, also known as the Long-Bracted Green Orchid and Dactylorhiza viridis is a monotypic genus of the family Orchidaceae generally found within the palearctic ecozone throughout the mid to northern United States through Canada, and in the British Isles and parts...

. Other plant species include adder's tongue, saw-wort

Serratula tinctoria

Serratula tinctoria, commonly known as Saw-wort, is a species in the genus Serratula. It is a native of Europe. It grows in moist soil, full sun to part shade, and grows up to one meter tall....

and pepper saxifrage. Chimney sweeper moths are abundant, due to the presence of their food plant, pignut.

The Miles Piece
—52.657925°N 1.00869°W

The smallest reserve, at 0.65 hectares (1.6 acre), with a spring-fed marsh, hawthorn scrub and some rough grassland. It was gifted to the trust in 1978 by Mrs Irene Cheales (née Miles). Fleabane

Erigeron

Erigeron is a genus of about 390 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest species diversity in North America, where 173 species occur....

, restharrow

Ononis repens

Ononis repens or Common Restharrow is a plant species of the genus Ononis. It is found by the shore and is also common in dry hill pastures in chalk or limestone areas. It is a prostrate woody perennial with small oval leaves. The leaves are covered in glandular hairs which give a resinous smell on...

, and some sedges are found.

Narborough Bog
—52.5766°N 1.19056°W

Containing the only substantial deposit of peat in Leicestershire, the bog covers 9 hectares (22.2 acre) and is a SSSI. The peat

Peat

Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

started to form 6,000 years ago and is now 180 centimetre deep. The habitats include wet woodland, scrub, some damp meadows and an extensive area of reed bed. Over 130 species of bird have been seen, including all three species of woodpecker

Woodpecker

Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....

, six species of tits, tawny owl

Tawny Owl

The Tawny Owl or Brown Owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants...

and kingfisher. Plant species include common meadow-rue, marsh thistle and a yellow berried form of guelder-rose

Viburnum opulus

Viburnum opulus is a species of Viburnum, native to Europe and Asia. Some botanists also treat the closely related North American species Viburnum trilobum as a variety of it , or a subspecies, Viburnum opulus subsp...

New Lount
—52.762278°N 1.410555°W

About 4 kilometres (2 mi) north-west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France....

, this 19.7 hectares (48.7 acre) Local Nature Reserve is an old colliery site

Coal mining

The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...

. Excavations took place mostly from 1924 to 1968, with minor work continuing until 1986. The reserve consists of species-rich grassland, scrub and plantation woodland. There are several ponds, containing broad-leaved pondweed

Potamogeton

Potamogeton is a genus of aquatic, mostly freshwater, plants of the family Potamogetonaceae. Most are known by the common name pondweed, although many unrelated plants may be called pondweed, such as Canadian pondweed...

, water-crowfoots

Ranunculus aquatilis

Ranunculus aquatilis is a plant species of the genus Ranunculus, native throughout most of Europe and western North America, and also northwest Africa....

and water mint and supporting great crested newt

Great Crested Newt

The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...

s and many dragonflies. The reserve also supports a colony of the rare dingy skipper

Dingy Skipper

butterfly.

North Quarry
—52.806089°N 0.9005°W

Located to the north of Brown's Hill Quarry this small (2 hectares (4.9 acre)) reserve is linear and follows the residual exposed face of a filled-in former ironstone

Ironstone

quarry that ceased operation in 1963. Of similar geology to Brown's Hill the grassland that has developed on the quarry banks supports cowslips

Primula veris

Primula veris is a flowering plant in the genus Primula. The species is found throughout most of temperate Europe and Asia, and although absent from more northerly areas including much of northwest Scotland, it reappears in northernmost Sutherland and Orkney.-Names:The common name cowslip derives...

, common spotted orchids, betony

Stachys

Stachys is one of the largest genera in the flowering plant family Lamiaceae. Estimates of the number of species in the genus vary from about 300, to about 450. The type species for the genus is Stachys sylvatica. Stachys is in the subfamily Lamioideae...

, common birds-foot trefoil

Lotus corniculatus

Lotus corniculatus is a common flowering plant native to grassland temperate Eurasia and North Africa. The common name is Bird's-foot Trefoil , though the common name is often also applied to other members of the genus...

and perforate St John's wort.

Prior's Coppice
—52.6381°N 0.772825°W

Rocky Plantation
—52.701825°N 1.2733°W

Rutland Water

Stonesby Quarry
—52.81774°N 0.794972°W

Tilton Railway Cutting
—52.642357°N 0.87603°W

Twenty Acre Piece
—52.783448°N 1.05°W

Ulverscroft
—52.710764°N 1.272333°W

Wanlip Meadows

Wymeswold Meadows

—52.80204°N 1.094°W

Wymondham Rough
—52.747737°N 0.768903°W

External links

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust website

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