Cumbria Wildlife Trust Volunteer Day

Help Cumbria Wildlife Trust find, and remove invasive species from this internationally important limestone pavement habitat, near Burton in Kendal.

This reserve is a rich havens for wildlife. The old quarried areas of pavement are now a fantastic habitat for rare plants such as dark-red helleborine and bird's-foot sedge. It's also becoming an increasingly good habitat for butterflies and moths.

Elsewhere you can see juniper and many ferns growing among the pavement.  Due to its special value for conservation, the nature reserve is designated a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area for Conservation.

In the hands of an expert Ranger we will be helping prevent scrub (small trees and shrubs) from dominating, and removing invasive plants.

The day will include -

• A guided walk around the reserve; a unique opportunity to learn more about this rare and fascinating habitat.
• The physical work will involve pulling up small buddleia plants by hand and gathering them together to be removed from the reserve.
• Larger bushes may need to be cut up with hand tools; loppers and small hacksaws. 

With only 2,000ha remaining, limestone pavement is one of the UK’s rarest and most vulnerable wildlife habitats. With a range of rare plants and animals, these distinctive geological formations are a particular speciality of the north of England, and south and east Cumbria has some of the richest and most important examples of limestone pavement which survive in the country.

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

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Photos with permission from Cumbria Wildlife Trust