Daneshill Lakes

Daneshill Gravel Pits (North) is an area of disused and flooded gravel pits covering 16 hectares. The reserve is leased from Nottinghamshire County Council and is part of a Local Nature Reserve, which was established in 1985. The site includes important areas of marginal vegetation and willow woodland habitat. Dry woodland and scrub occurs around the periphery of the site and includes oak, birch, blackthorn, hawthorn, rowan and gorse, with wood sage and foxglove on sunny edges. Good numbers of willow warbler, whitethroat and blackcap are present in summer, and in winter siskin, water rail and goldcrest may be seen. A range of wildfowl occurs outside the breeding season. This is also a good site for damselflies and dragonflies, and grass snakes are present but rarely seen. Interesting invertebrates includes good numbers of butterflies such as brimstone, common blue, meadow brown, gatekeeper and ringlet. The acid nature of the soil supports an interesting moss and liverwort community. The footpaths around the reserve have been recently upgraded, improving access to the reserve.