Speckled wood butterfly - Tom Marshall
Harlestone Heath
Location
Northampton
Northamptonshire
OS Map Reference
SP 721 646
Know before you go
Entry fee
NoGrazing animals
YesWalking trails
3/4-mile walk along tarmac and sandy tracks. Access through the Firs can be wet and muddy. Reserve generally level but anthills are present
Access
Unsuitable for wheelchairs
Dogs
When to visit
Opening times
Open at all timesBest time to visit
April to June, July to SeptemberAbout the reserve
This small site was left as a fire break between the Firs conifer plantation and the railway line. It has since developed into a secluded little reserve and is one of the few last remaining areas of acid heathland in the county. A stream runs through the reserve and there is also a pond, a marshy area and two different types of grassland, which gives a great variety of habitats for such a small site.
A range of acid grassland plants can be found here including gorse and broom. Green woodpeckers can often be seen feeding on the large nests of wood ants under the trees or on nests of meadow ants out in the grassland.