Habitats

Grassland

According to Plantlife over 97% of the UK’s species-rich grassland has been lost in less than a century and it now covers just 1% of land.

Calcareous grassland in Warwickshire is largely confined to the south and east within the Cotswolds and Feldon areas. Most has a relatively recent origin, being within, for example, old quarries. There is a small amount within agricultural settings (often on steeper ground that has been left out of improvement schemes) and along some road verges and railway or canal cuttings. Five Warwickshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) have unimproved calcareous grassland but this is mostly only a small proportion of each site, the remainder being scrub and woodland. The largest is Oxhouse Farm near Butlers Marston.

Neutral grasslands also occur in south Warwickshire, including Loxley Churchyard and the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust reserves at Radway Meadows, Loxley Church Meadow and the Welcombe Hills near Stratford upon Avon.

Grassland restoration has been taken on by conservation organisations such as the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Warwickshire Butterfly Conservation, and Warwickshire County Council oversees some of the verges that are Local Wildlife sites. However, there is further opportunity for organisations and individuals to restore areas to grassland, even small ones, and manage these areas sympathetically to increase the diversity of flowers, grasses and other wildlife. A good example is the management of large areas of grassland at the Sun Rising Natural Burial Ground and Nature Reserve, Tysoe which holds regular events for those interested in wildlife. Other areas of grassland have been developed on former agricultural land close to Tysoe and by the University of Warwick at its campus near Wellesbourne. Churchyards (link to page) are sometimes managed as wildflower meadows and the information on management of verges (small areas of grassland) (page) is also very relevant.