Quarry Springs Traditional Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
A half litre box near Quarry Springs, Ashwell, Hertfordshire
The nearby Quarry Springs produce a stream of water at consistent temperature of about ten degrees centigrade, which is the very special requirement of some of the rare species of flatworm which thrive here.
The reserve is managed to enhance its natural diversity. Pockets of scrub of various ages show how vegetation of chalk changes over time. Sheltered glades in the scrub offer protection for many butterflies and other insects. Following removal of bushes many of the chalk grassland plants - including cowslips and pyramidal orchids - are coming back.
The adjacent Ashwell Quarry is a fine example of how old chalk pits can develop into chalk grassland. The reserve stands as a sheltered oasis for wildlife in an otherwise agricultural landscape. Ashwell Quarry Springs are a minor source of the River Cam and have their own special wildlife interest.
The quarry is very old and we know that in more recent times parts were cultivated and grazed. After quarrying finished about one hundred years ago, it slowly developed scrub and much of the open grazed grassland - rich in plants - was lost.
In summer the reserve is full of plants such as pyramidal orchid, field and small scabious, clustered bellflower and glaucous sedge. Deep shaded hollows add their own intererst and many of the older thorn and elder bushes support rare mosses.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zhygv gerr
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures