Once the excavation machinery has been removed, the work on returning our redundant quarries to nature begins.
In the case of our Barrigone site, just outside Foynes, Co Limerick, that process of infilling and restoration is expected to take 20 years.
But earlier this summer, the 48-hectare limestone quarry played host to a group of experts keen to see how that rewilding process is already well-advanced in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
Staff from the National Parks and Wildlife Service – which manages SACs across the country – joined ecologists, landscape architects, local farmers and our own Environmental team to talk about the site's Dry Calcareous Grassland and the diverse ecosytem that this endangered habitat supports.
The day also marked the launch of an agreement between Roadstone and local farmer Tom Keane, who will be grazing his native Droimeann cattle on the land. This type of land management will reduce encroaching scrub and bracken and make more room for native wildflowers!
Some of the Dry Calcareous species found included:
Yellow Rattle
Yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) is a native wildflower that helps create species-rich meadows.
Yellow rattle is a semi-parasitic wildflower that attaches its roots to nearby grasses and draws some water and nutrients from them. This helps to suppress vigorous grass growth and creates more space for native wildflowers.
Yellow rattle gets its name from the dry seed pods, which rattle in the wind when the seeds are mature.
Juniper
Juniper (Juniperus communis) is a protected species and associated with lime-rich soils. Barrigone SAC is an important stronghold for Juniper, which is in decline in Ireland.
Lady’s Bedstraw
Lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum) is a low-growing, perennial (it lives longer than two years) wildflower. The species gets its name from its historical use as a mattress stuffing, and in the right conditions the flowers smell sweetly like honey!
Sea Plantain & Invasive Cotoneaster
As its name suggests, the salt-tolerant Sea Plantain (Plantago maritima) normally grows on seashores and salt-marshes, but its hardiness also means that it is been able to adapt to the low nutrient soils at Barrigone SAC. Related to the Greater Plantain that might grow in your garden, its leaves are thinner and fleshier in order to hold moisture better. It’s great to have a bit of seaside thriving in one of our quarries!
Also spotted was Cotoneaster – an invasive shrub that is easy to establish on rocky ground and difficult to eliminate. It serves as a reminder that our SAC lands on Barrigone need protecting. With the introduction of cattle grazing we are going to better manage this land for native biodiversity!