Several small pieces of relict meadow around the edges of the park survived untouched by opencasting. These have acted as an invaluable seed bank for many rare plant species such as marsh and common spotted orchid, ragged robin, harebell, great burnet, cowslips and cuckcoo flower. As well as flourishing in their original location they are now colonising the newer, restored areas.

The land surrounding the nature reserve lake is also a large grassland habitat. During restoration work topsoil was deliberately omitted in order to create a nutrient poor grassland that would support a high diversity of grassland species, rather than a single dominant species found on 'improved pasture' so common on agricultural land today.

These grasslands provide a home to a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates. Small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews also occur in large numbers as well as bigger animals such as rabbit, hare, kestrel and skylark. In areas where the vegetation has been cut and allowed to rot grass snakes can sometimes be seen, the young emerging from their eggs that are incubated by the heat of the composting material.

Grassland habitats are not something that would exist in any large number without the influence of humans. If left to nature they would eventually become overgrown, first with scrub and then by trees, eventually becoming a woodland. In order to keep a grassland, and all the diverse plants and animals that go with it, the area must be carefully managed with sheep and cattle provided by local farmers.

In other areas of the park where grazing with animals would not be appropriate, the grassland is managed by cutting and baling to produce hay or silage. This has the effect of maintaining a relatively nutrient poor soil, (with a high species diversity) and produces a source of fodder. The large areas of grass around the main lake are managed in this way, the area being cut and baled most years.