Marford Quarry Nature Reserve

Marford Quarry Nature Reserve

Marford Quarry Nature Reserve © NWWT Graham Berry

Bee Orchid

Bee Orchid - Dawn Monrose

Pyramidal orchid

Pyramidal orchid - Paul Lane

Marford Quarry Nature Reserve

Marford Quarry Nature Reserve

Green woodpecker

Margaret Holland

A close up of a butterfly, with a dark body, iridescent purple on it's wings, bright orange tips to it's antennae, and lots of little hairs all over it's body. It is sat on a bright green leaf that also has lots of little hairs.

Purple hairstreak © Philip Precey

Marford Quarry Nature Reserve

Buzzing with biodiversity, this old industrial site is now overflowing with invertebrate life.

Location

Marford
Wrexham
LL12 8TG

OS Map Reference

SJ 357 563
OS Explorer Map 265
A static map of Marford Quarry Nature Reserve

Know before you go

Size
11 hectares
z

Entry fee

No
P

Parking information

There are spaces for six cars just beyond the railway bridge, Disabled parking can be accessed through the reserve entrance using a RADAR key.

Grazing animals

No

Walking trails

A network of paths over uneven ground

Access

The site is steep with gravelly slopes in places. By using a RADAR key to access the disabled parking, you can explore the reserve by following a wheelchair and pushchair accessible path.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

spring and summer

About the reserve

With over 1,000 recorded species, Marford Quarry is a wildlife oasis – and one of the best places in Wales for invertebrates. As its name suggests, the site was quarried for many years (supplying aggregate for the construction of the Mersey Tunnel) but, now that nature has truly reclaimed it for herself, insects thrive in the mix of post-industrial habitats and several rare species make their homes here.

The reserve is especially important for a specialised group of invertebrates, aculeate Hymenoptera (bees, ants and wasps), with an astounding 171 different species recorded (2018). Ants, in particular, are an important source of food for green woodpeckers – as you wander along the network of paths that criss-cross the quarry floor, listen out for their distinctive, cackling call. In spring and summer, the vivid colours of orchids and other wildflowers accompany the reserve’s leafy greens; whilst the flashes of colour from the 35 butterfly species found here are sure to catch your eye.
 

Disturbance and deadwood

Work here focuses on maintaining the variety of habitats that host such an array of wildflowers and invertebrates. The ground is disturbed and left open in rotation to encourage early successional plants and the invertebrates, such as the burrowing bee and wasp species, that need this bare, sandy soil. Dead wood is also left standing at the site for use by other rare invertebrates, whilst scrub is removed from some areas to prevent woodland colonising the grassland habitats.
 

Did you know?

Ruby-tailed wasps are the cuckoos of the insect world. They lay their eggs in the nests of other solitary wasps and bees and, once hatched, the larvae eat the rightful brood.

Directions
2.5 miles north northeast of Wrexham. Heading South into the village of Marford on the B5445, turn Right onto Springfield Lane. There are spaces for six cars just beyond the railway bridge (SJ 365 563). To enter the reserve, walk back under the railway bridge and look for a public footpath sign and the reserve entrance.

Contact us

Jordan Hurst
Contact number: 01248 351541

Environmental designation

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

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