About the reserve

An hour with the flowers 

At the height of the gold rush in America, when people travelled west to make their fortune, a local trust in Yorkshire granted a patch of land to the poor people of Barmby Moor. As the locals similarly travelled west to find work, the area became known as Cali (or California) Heath. 

It doesn't have the palm trees of its sunnier namesake, but who needs palm trees, when you have a collection of native ferns? 

Cali Heath is an area of grassy heath - a rare habitat in Yorkshire. Concealed in the grassland is a marvellous array of tiny flowering plants, including bird's-foot trefoil, dove's-foot cranesbill and common stork's-bill - all typical of these sandy soils. Take a magnifying glass for a more detailed view. Look out for hare's-foot clover, named for its fluffy-looking flower heads, and shepherd's cress, recorded in only three other places in Yorkshire. 

The rough grassland is valuable for a huge number of insects, including over 370 fly species. One of these - Hilara gallica - was thought to be extinct in Britain until it was re-discovered here, and Cali Heath is now a UK stronghold. 

Battling bracken

Cali Heath is a diamond in the rough and still a work in progress. As we introduce more grazing, we hope to battle back against encroaching bracken and encourage more wildflowers, and we're re-digging the ponds to create more wet areas. 

As well as the grassy habitat, there are areas of oak woodland, with alders and willows fringing the ditches, and there's a small section of heather. In quiet moments, you may see roe deer sheltering in the woods. Buzzards are a common sight, look out too for red kite, barn owl or green woodpecker.