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Particular plants to look for in the grykes are the many species of fern: hart’s tongue, hard shield and male; wall and maidenhair spleenworts; and polypody. Also present are the rare rigid buckler fern and limestone fern, and the nationally scarce blue moor grass. Limestone pavement is also an ideal habitat for a range of uncommon plants including angular solomon’s seal, lily-of-the-valley and several orchids including the dark red helleborine. All plants are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which makes it an offence to pick or remove any wild flower without the owner’s permission.

Crevices in the limestone are a haven for ferns

Butterflies and moths thrive on the limestone grassland and you may see the diminutive small heath or the larger dark green fritillary. Birds to look for are the skylark, willow warbler and yellowhammer.

The Leighton Moss Reserve was established by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 1964, and in 1974 it purchased an additional 6000 acres of the marshland on the edge of Morecambe Bay between Hest Bank and Arnside Point to create one of the most important bird reserves in the country. Over 270 bird species have been recorded on the reserve, including the elusive bittern and the striking avocet.