Dean Green Team

Wildlife Conservation Group in the

Forest of Dean

Gloucestershire

11 October 2011

An image of the middle of the quarry taken from the quarry top.

This shows the shade caused by the conifers on the quarry walls

Shakemantle Quarry

Grid Ref SO652112

We last went to Shakemantle Quarry in a snow blizzard nearly two years ago but, this time, it was a warm autumnal day. The purpose today was to clear any re-growth of Birch since the last visit and to start clearing the conifers which were growing up the quarry walls. Quarry walls are ideal habitats for butterflies to breed and we wanted to expose the surfaces so that the sun could warm them. Lizards and adders would also appreciate this! A Peregrine Falcon was seen flying over the top of the quarry.

Shakemantle Quarry was a limestone quarry which was mined from about 1870 until about 1960.