Raisby Hill is one of the few remaining examples of primary magnesian limestone grassland left in the country. An abandoned quarry site, this site includes banks of limestone grassland, two ponds surrounded by marsh and fen habitats and areas of developing ash woodland. 

The primary grassland contains plants typical of this internationally rare habitat, including blue moor grass, fairy flax and devils-bit scabious. 

Bishop Middleham Quarry is an example of magnesian limestone grassland which has developed over time. This reserve and is home to more common plants such as the common spotted orchid, pyramidal orchid, fragrant orchid, scabious, common centaury and autumn gentian. 

The quarry attracts both farmland and woodland bird species such as yellowhammer. 

Town Kelloe Bank has a unique and very distinctive landscape with diverse flora and fauna. Large amounts of common rockrose provide food for the larvae of the northern brown argus butterfly.

On the thin soils of the valley sides, blue moor and quaking grass, glaucous sedge and meadow oat-grass flourish. Fragrant orchids and classic magnesian limestone herbs such as wild thyme, salad burnet, milkwort, and autumn gentian also thrive. 

This coastal site is as important for both its geology and wildlife. The cliffs and coastal area feature natural exposures of reef-limestone, set down 250 million years ago in the waters on the ancient Zechstein Sea. The site now attracts a variety of insects with 15 species of butterfly recorded, including the northern brown argus, and the rare cistus forester moth.

This unique geology supports a very rich flora on the cliffs and coastal grassland, including species such as quaking grass, rockrose and bloody cranesbill, while the wet gullies contain many locally rare plants, such as butterwort and bird’s eye primrose.

Herrington Hill is one of the few remnants of primary, species-rich magnesian limestone grasslands in the country. This nature reserve offers visitors stunning, 360 degree views of the surrounding landscape including Penshaw Monument.

Blue moor grass is the dominant grass with common rock rose, carline thistle, wild thyme, burnet saxifrage, felwort, restharrow and sea plantain which is more commonly associated with the coast. The grassland is rich in invertebrates and meadow brown and common blue butterflies are abundant during the summer months.

Bishop’s Fen is a 20ha farmland site about 2km south of Bishop Middleham, County Durham. Lying on the floodplain of the River Skerne, the nature reserve is part of the ambitious Great North Fen vision. 

Bishop’s Fen is just at the start of its journey to re-discover to wealth of bio-diversity it once supported. Today there is plenty to see, from flocks of wildfowl and wading birds on the inundated floodplain grasslands to a wealth of wildflower and butterfly and invertebrate life along the well surfaced railway walk. 

This abandoned quarry provides magnesian limestone flora, complimented by mature hawthorn scrub and developing ash woodland.

The flat quarry floor has been colonised by magnesian limestone grassland flora and dingy skipper butterflies thrive on the short turf, with its blue-moor grass, quaking grass, carline thistle, autumn gentian, and blue fleabane. Look out for the scarce but attractive bee orchid.