Black Country Walk Through Time

Reef Mound

Continue along the footpath.

View map of this stage

Look out at the rock face on the left of the path - the rock has been folded up and over - you can see 'stretchmarks' in it.

Fossil pizza!

Continue along the path until you reach the Reef Mound, a jagged-edged mound covered with plants and loose pebbles (see photo above).

Because the rock is so close to the surface, the soil is very thin here. It's a hostile environment for plants but some thrive in the thin soils - look out for bettany and flax.

What plants grow near the Reef Mound? Listen to Ali Glaisher »
What plants grow in very thin soils? Listen to Ali Glaisher »

Cinnabar moth larvae

The plants here attracts insects. You might see butterflies, including the rare 'small blue'. Cinnabar moth larvae only feed on ragwort - they're black and orange caterpillars (see photo). Ragwort is a weed which is considered a pest. Although it provides food for insects (which in turn are food for birds and mammals), ragwort is poisonous to livestock so farmers prefer to get rid of it. Here at the Reef Mound, the stripey caterpillars are providing a biological control - they're chomping their way through most of the ragwort! Look out for bare stalks and caterpillars on the move looking for more ragwort.

Find out more about ragwort. Listen to Ali Glaisher »

Close up of 'fossil pizza' showing coral (left) and shells (centre)

The Reef Mound itself is fascinating. Look closely and you'll be able to see the texture of the ancient coral reef which lived here. Local children call it 'fossil pizza' because (like a seafood pizza) you can see loads of different things scattered in it: shells, corals and creatures.

Fossils (complete and partial) erode off the mound every time it rains. You can rummage through the debris on the ground and take any fossils you find home with you! (There's more about fossils on the next page.)

How to spot a fossil. Listen to Graham Worton »

You'll easily be able to find fossil coral and shells (atrypa), other sea creatures, and, if you're lucky, maybe a piece of a trilobite. Dudley is so famous for its trilobite fossils that the beast featured until recently on Dudley's coat of arms! When limestone was mined here, people travelled from all over the world to buy a 'Dudley bug'. There are now Dudley trilobites in museums in every corner of the globe.

A Dudley trilobite

There is no creature alive today which is anything like the trilobites. Listen to the clip below to find out why local geologist Graham Worton thinks trilobites are ace!

Trilobites are ace! Listen to Graham Worton »

There is a sign here which says 'No hammers' - so don't give erosion a helping hand by using tools to chip away at the rock.

Ripple bed outcrop - and a sign which says 'NO HAMMERS'

On the right, you'll see an outcrop of rock sticking up (see photo). Continue along the path until you reach the viewing platform on the left...

View map of this stage