Scrub clearance on Crickley Hill

Crickley Hill Country Park receives more than 300,000 visitors each year

Scrub clearance work is planned for Crickley Hill to help preserve the limestone grasslands and the wildlife species that inhabit them.

The project at the country park, six miles east of Gloucester, will be carried out in phases by the National Trust and it is predicted to last three years.

Martin Jones, National Trust Area Warden for the North Cotswolds, said: "The rich grasslands we're trying to protect support a huge range of vulnerable plant species such as musk orchid, clustered bellflower, devil's-bit scabious, cowslip and chalk milkwort.

"They're also home to at least 27 nationally scarce invertebrates. Butterfly surveys have also found many that only thrive on limestone pasture such as the chalkhill blue, green hairstreak and brown argus."

Thanks to the rich wildlife and plant species, Crickley Hill has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

'Smothering'

One of the ways this mix is protected is through grazing by cattle.

"We have a herd of Belted Galloways which are moved across our sites in the Cotswolds," added Martin.

"However over the years more and more woody species of scrub have been smothering Crickley Hill threatening the grasslands.

"The changes on site will initially look drastic, but unchecked could see us losing the wonderful wildflowers, stunning butterflies and rare insects which make Crickley Hill such a joy to visit, under a swathe of dense scrub."

The Cotswolds boast half of the UK's national reserve for limestone grasslands.