lancashire, Places to visit, wildlife

Salthill Quarry Nature Reserve, Clitheroe.

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Warm sunny days are meant for finding flowers, I always think, so I recently walked up to Salthill Quarry Nature Reserve to look for Bee Orchids. And then I visited again with my sister to show her the Bee Orchids. The Reserve really is a wildflower wilderness full of butterflies fluttering by and the flora has certainly erupted into an explosion of colour. 🦋🌼🐝

The Quarry areas of the 8 Hectare site are where to find Bee Orchids and other flowers that enjoy the limestone rich soil. Once upon a time the quarry existed at the bottom of the sea and fossilized remains of crinoids ( sea lillies ) can be found in the rocks.

Here are a few photos of the plants currently flowering in the Nature Reserve.

Creeping Cinquefoil spreads low across grassland.
Common Blue Butterfly on Marjoram. Lots of these azure blue beauties flitting around.
Birds Foot Trefoil amongst Thyme. The Thyme has created a colourful carpet in parts of the reserve.
Common Spotted Orchid.
Self-heal was used in mediaeval times for binding up wounds.
I love the bright blue colour of milkwort.
Hoary Plantain , another fan of limy soils.
Tiny Wild Strawberries in miniature.
Wild Thyme has a distinctive fragrance.
The Bee Orchid flower resembles the rear of a small bumblebee.
The Bee Orchid is apparently the county flower of Bedfordshire.
Tutsan is a larger variety of St Johns Wort.
A meadow of Quaking Grass. The constant movement of its spikelets on their wiry stalks makes it’s lovely name really apt.
My sister chased this beautiful ❤️ day flying moth until she managed to get a photo. And I love it’s name ,Cinnabar Moth.
Anyone else noticed the huge amount of Ox Eye Daisies everywhere this year?

Have you a Nature Reserve local to you? Which wildflowers have you seen there?

36 thoughts on “Salthill Quarry Nature Reserve, Clitheroe.”

    1. I need to see some species I have never seen before. Hoping to get to Ribble head in 2 weeks, the quarry there is meant to be good for orchids. Did you see many at the chalk pits?

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  3. You have had warmer weather than us here in NI. It has only arrived today, Sunday! This is the first warm weather since end of May & so the gardens are a bit slower this year. Love your photo of the daisies! 🙋‍♂️

    Reply

      1. Thank you. I actually had to have my sun hat on when dead-heading! PS. Watched Suranne Jones’ tv programme on Sunday evening about witches, starting in Pendle! 🙋‍♂️

    1. A wonderful post. You’ve taken some beautiful photographs, Shazza, and I especially love the Common Blue Butterfly.

      I’ve never actually seen a Cinnabar Moth, only the caterpillars. Xx

      Reply

      1. Thanks Jules. The common blues were so vivid in colour. Just one Cinnabar fluttering around, didn’t want to stay still! X

  8. Walking on Balranald Nature Reserve (N. Uist) yesterday and admiring the different colours from the machair flowers. Swathes of yellow and white from the buttercups and clover and other areas blue and red from the poppies, speedwell and forget-me-not,

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    1. Very lucky to have it nearby. There’s also another not far from there with an old quarry so will definitely take a look there soon.

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  11. Wow, just look at all the wonderful and colourful wildflowers you saw and photographed at the Salthill Quarry Nature Reserve. We have many wild orchids around Sligo, but this is the first time I have heard about bee orchids! I had to look them up and apparently, they are a very common sight in Ireland, too. I just have to keep my eyes peeled next time I am out and about as they would be such a delight to find. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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  13. Yes absolutely loads of daisies down here this year. Have to be honest the butterflies haven’t been seen as often though. Managed a 3 day walk in Cornwall last week where we finally got to see a fair few species and some moths as well, one which looks very much like the Cinnabar one you have got a photo of. But I couldn’t get a photo despite chasing three or four of them.

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    1. Apparently the rain has been good for daisies!
      Butterflies have been scarce up here too. It’s not just been wet but very breezy as well.
      There are cinnabars and spotted Burnets that look very similar. Great to see either. 🙂

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