Country diary: To the old quarry, for a Triassic quest | Jennifer Jones

Storeton Wood, Wirral: Two centuries ago, this landscape was being transformed by George Stephenson as he built Liverpool; more than 200m years ago very different creatures roamed here At last, the sun shone after weeks of rain. While the distant Welsh hills were draped in snow, here on the Wirral it was dry and bright. Storeton Wood is a secondary woodland of oak, beech and silver birch, and formerly a quarry. Below, a cuprous layer of leaf has protected the soil from the recent assault of r...

By Jennifer Jones