Wildlife
The Yellow Land has a fantastic array of calcicolous plants and associated wildlife. Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneria) is found in some areas of the site and is the sole food plant of the Small Blue Butterfly, whose larvae feed on the flower heads. The Small Blue Butterfly is Britain's smallest butterfly and is very rare. Other plants that you might find include Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Yellow Wort (Blackstonia perfoliata) and Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria).
Other butterflies recorded on the site include the Grizzled Skipper, Common Blue, Ringlet and Small Heath. Ant hills made by the Yellow Ant (Lasius flavus) are also a feature of the site.
Geology and History
The rare wildlife on the Yellow Land is due to the geology and history of the site. The bedrock underneath the Yellow Land is Blue Lias Limestone that is 195-200 million years old. The rock was quarried from the 1800s until 1970 and the waste material from the associated cement works was then used to infil the quarry.
This limestone-clay waste from the works now makes up the surface of the Yellow Land and it is this material that supports the valuable calcicolous grassland.