Chwarel Llanhari

Surrounded by housing estates, this abandoned limestone quarry is now returning to its natural state in the form of a beautiful ash woodland and calcareous grassland.

Wood Warbler | © Tate Lloyd

Habitat

Welcome to a superb limestone woodland and calcareous grassland, which is home to an array of wonderful species. Once an active limestone quarry now beautifully reclaimed by nature. Through sensitive tree management, keeping deadwood, managing the grassland, and removing litter and invasive plants, we can protect Llanharry Quarry’s rich biodiversity for years to come.

When to Visit

In the spring the woodland is a sea of wildflowers and alive with birdsong, and in summer the grassland blooms and hums with insects. On a winter walk, enjoy the green mantle of mosses and ferns and twittering flocks of tits and goldcrests.

Biodiversity

Here you’ll find early purple, common spotted and twayblade orchids, as well as primrose, toothwort, wood anemone,
birds-foot trefoil, black knapweed, fairy flax and the delicate umbrella-like flowers of burnet saxifrage. Chiffchaff, nuthatch, and greater-spotted woodpeckers nest here, and lesser horseshoe bats visit at night. In the open grassland, common lizards bask in the sun. If attacked they can drop their still-moving tail as a distraction and make a quick escape from predators. The quarry is great invertebrate habitat. Look out for the ringlet butterfly with its unmistakable sooty brown wings and brightly coloured rings.