Whitfield Valley is a local nature reserve on the northern fringe of

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

, England.

Description

The reserve, of area , was designated a local nature reserve (LNR) in 1991. It is owned and managed by

Stoke-on-Trent City Council Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the local authority of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. Since 1997 it has been a unitary authority, a district council which also performs the functions of a county council, independent from Staffordshire C ...

. Ford Green Brook flows south through the site, between Chell and Bradeley to the west and

Norton le Moors Norton le Moors is in the north-east of the city of Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, England, mostly within the city boundary, with the rest in the Staffordshire Moorlands district. Geography The suburb borders Ball Green in the north, Stockto ...

to the east. At the northern end is the former spoil heap of the

Chatterley Whitfield Chatterley Whitfield Colliery is a disused coal-mine on the outskirts of Chell in Stoke-on-Trent. It was the largest mine in North Staffordshire and was the first colliery in the UK to produce 1,000,000 tons of saleable coal in a year. In 197 ...

colliery; in the south is Ford Green. The

reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

at Ford Green is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

."Whitfield Valley LNR"
''

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

''. Retrieved 5 July 2020. Within the reserve there is

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

, lakes and scattered trees."Whitfield Valley Local Nature Reserve"
City of Stoke-on-Trent. Retrieved 5 July 2020. The former colliery spoil heap is a site for Birdsfoot trefoil, which supports

dingy skipper The dingy skipper (''Erynnis tages'') is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. Description ''Erynnis tages'' is different from other skippers because of the predominantly monochrome, gray-brown wing coloration and the marbling, which ...

butterflies. In the grassland,

skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially ...

s and

grey partridge The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix'') is a bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name is the Latin for "partridge". Taxonomy The grey partridge formally described in 1758 by the S ...

s may be seen. The lakes are a habitat for

water bird A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...

References

{{Stoke-on-Trent Local nature reserves in Staffordshire Lakes of Staffordshire Parks and open spaces in Staffordshire