Finedon Cally Banks
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Part of an old ironstone workings now reclaimed by nature and a refuge for a surprising variety of wildlife |
The site is linked to the quarry first worked in the 1870’s at Finedon Pocket Park. The ore was transported along a specially constructed railway to what is now the reserve.
The name Cally Banks is derived from the process of burning iron ore to remove impurities. This left a deposit called Calcine, which has provided the poor soil conditions that wildflowers and finer grasses need. In summer you can see common spotted- and bee orchid. In spring and autumn you often see beautiful speckled wood butterflies searching for nectar among the flowers.
The ditches and sedge bed are good habitats for a variety of invertebrates such as crickets and dragonflies. They are also important places for wetland flora such as meadowsweet, lesser pond-sedge and marsh woundwort.
Hawthorn and blackthorn scrub has covered areas of the banks turning them into a haven for warblers and spotted flycatcher.
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Reptiles: Slow worm Birds: Chiffchaff, reed warbler, sedge warbler, long-tailed-tit, spotted flycatcher |
Plants: Meadowsweet, lesser pond-sedge, reedmace, kidney vetch, marsh woundwort Reptiles: Slow worm Birds: Chiffchaff, reed warbler, sedge warbler, long-tailed-tit, spotted flycatcher |
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