Rolleston is fortunate in having several areas which are especially attractive to wildlife including Brook Hollows in the centre (where the clearing of the old fishponds and sympathetic management of surrounding woodland has been very successful), Craythorne Wood and the Jinny Nature Trail on the eastern edge.

The Old Dove in Marston Fields is listed as a site of special scientific interest.

The Jinny Trail, which follows the track of the former railway, has an inviting entrance off Station Road, with a simple stile and discreet but effective signposting. There is a good balance between the "wild" and "managed" aspects of the trail. Remnants of Victorian railway brickwork add interest to the former station area and to the junction with the footpath which runs behind Walford Road, where the steps and handrails are appropriate and well maintained.

The embankments of the old railway cutting provide an invaluable habitat for wildlife with a good mixture of deciduous trees, birch scrub, hawthorn, brambles and wild roses. Grazing by rabbits maintains clear areas where wild flowers can flourish. There is therefore a very wide variety of birds and butterflies; the Rolleston section of the Jinny Trail is one of the sites used for a national butterfly mapping scheme.

Brookside and Burnside with the Alderbrook are without doubt the outstanding feature of the village. Although the area has changed following the Flood Prevention Scheme carried out by the former River Authority, nevertheless the statement that "the brook provides Rolleston with a riverscape that probably no other Town or Village in Staffordshire can rival" made in the County Planning Conservation area No.19 (February 1970) Document, still rings true.

Water abstraction from the Alderbrook has in the past excited much local opposition and a succession of dry summers has caused much concern about a sluggish and shallow flow which has been detrimental to fish and bird life.

Trees are one of the most important features of the landscape. Old oaks are perhaps the most impressive, but willow, birch, ash, beech and alder are also important. The loss of the mature elms through Dutch Elm Disease is to be regretted; any replanting should be with species which are native to the Dove valley.

The village also contains a number of protected trees both British (Beech etc) and exotic (Cedars, Wellingtonias) planted as part of the Mosley Estate. Many are over mature and there have been significant losses in recent years. The Wellingtonias by the Water Tower are reputed to be the furthest identifiable skyline objects from Thorpe Cloud in Dovedale.