The quarry over the road.

There's a disused limestone quarry that I can see from my back garden. I remember. albeit vaguely, the same quarry being worked when I visited my Grandparents house during the summer holidays. in the 1960s. Now this site is reclaimed by nature, the once open flower rich quarry floor is replaced by rapidly developing scrub. Nevertheless patches of openness still remain, dominated by birds foot trefoil and eybright spp. that attract the now widespread tree bumblebee and the red-tailed bumblebee.

The scrub has its own value. Many of the young trees are of a non-native origin, including holm oak. The wider landscape of Companies Wood is ancient, dominated by beech and ash, complete with its die back. Here the male yellow barred longhorn moth with its extensive antennae is commonly encountered. Under the scrub there is a small yet thriving stand of round-leaved wintergreen. I found this colony some 15 years ago, and whilst holding its own has never increased significantly, until now that is The population has expanded around the quarry with a total of upwards of 100 plants, some in full flower. I intend to spend some more biological recording at this site over the coming months as it never fails to produce interesting records.