Where’s Heather?
“Where’s Heather?” She is hiding in Wilderness Wood. Can you find her?
16th January 2024
I suspect that the title of this post suggests I am looking to start my own version of “Where's Wally” in Wilderness Wood (now there's a snappy title). However, the heather in question is not a rather skinny, bespectacled young lady, dressed in a stripy jumper and bobble hat, hidden in amongst the trees of Wilderness Wood.
No, this Heather is the one which grows in profusion across heathlands in southern England and on mountains and moorlands in the north and west of the UK. Its brilliant pink flowers can turn the countryside to the colour of a rose garden for a few days in August each year, after which it reverts back to its rather greeny-brown 'drab' raiment.
It is a major oversight on my part not to have spent more time on heathland ecology, if only because outside of woodland, heathland must be the commonest natural habitat in The High Weald. A quick check back through these pages tells me that this significant plant has not had its own post as yet, so here follows all things Heather and heathland at Wilderness Wood.
The Sussex Wildlife Trust web site (https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/discover/around-sussex/heathland) tells us:
“A heathland is an open landscape dominated by low-growing plants, mainly species of heather and gorse as well as bracken, heathland grasses, herbs and mosses. These are interspersed with areas of bare ground and scattered trees, providing important habitat for a huge range of butterflies, wasps, beetles, birds and reptiles. Wetter heath areas and acidic ponds also provide important habitat for dragonflies and damselflies. Soils are acidic and free-draining with very low nutrient levels.
Heathlands developed over time as common-land areas. Historically locals would collect wood, bracken, gorse and heather for fuel, thatching and numerous other uses and villagers would graze their livestock. Over time this activity causes the heathland’s soil to become depleted of nutrients. Wildlife needs to be highly adapted to survive in such inhospitable conditions. The wildlife that has adapted to survive here, now depend on these rare heathland habitats for their survival.
As UK heathland is lost it becomes more and more difficult for these species to exist in Britain. Lowland Heathland is classed as a priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, with approximately 20% of the lowland heath in Europe being found in the UK. In Sussex, heathland makes up around 3000 hectares, or around 1% of the county, with the Ashdown Forest containing the largest surviving heathland area in South East England.”
Although not in the same league as Ashdown Forest, we do have a relatively small area of heathland here at Wilderness Wood and it is growing thanks to our active conservation measures.
Common Heather forming dense low shrub cover in the Bat Park heathland site
Trawling through my map collection I discover the enclosed map showing the areas of heathland within Wilderness Wood. The enclosed map is based upon an extract taken from a much larger vegetation map of Hadlow Down parish. According to the parish vegetation map it seems that we are the guardians of the only bit of heathland in the entire parish. If you want to find the original map try the AONB web site at https://highweald.org/document-library/research/parish-information/?dmsearch=hadlow+down&dmsearch_contents=1
I suspect the actual mapping done goes back many years and certainly before 2014 when I first started volunteering at Wilderness Wood. Our Woodsman Andrew Coates has been in residence for nigh-on 30 years and has no clear memory of the supposed heathland in the north west part of the wood, which is currently conifer plantation and totally unsuited to heather and heathland. The large angular area south east of this must have been Bat Park before it was subjected to a serious fire more than 10 years ago. The smaller round area south of this could be close to Wood Glade where I recall a small number of heather shrubs existed 5 to 10 years ago..
Recorded Heathland at Wilderness Wood (HWAONB)
It therefore seems that Bat Park is the only surviving significant patch of heathland in the parish. I'm sure there are others, so perhaps you could email: emilyanddan@wildernesswood.org if you know of any others.
I'm interested to know why there is so little heathland at Wilderness Wood considering the large tract of it not far away at Ashdown Forest.
As Sussex Wildlife Trust state, heathland includes a number of woody shrub species such as Common Heather, Cross-leaved Heath, Bell Heather and a few species of gorse, Heather appears to be the dominant of these species, although in places gorse can give it a run for its money.
Heathland flowers.
1. Bell Heather, 2. Bracken, 3. European Gorse, 4. Cross-leaved Heath,
5. Common Heather, 6. Tormentil
You won't find heathland plants in chalky area, with the strange exceptions where a deposit of acidic material sits between the chalk and the heathland soil above (visit Lullington Heath National Nature Reserve near Eastbourne https://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sites/lullington%20heath.html).
Heather prefers an acidic 'ericaceous' soil. Not many species of plants do very well on acidic soils, so heather does not have much competition when it finds conditions ideal for its growth. In fact it can cope with quite a bit of waterlogging, high winds, dry conditions and cold. That's perhaps why it does so well in upland areas and on exposed coastal sites Quite a hardy beast really.
But its Achilles Heel is shade. If trees are able to (and allowed to) grow, then heathland's days as the dominant vegetation type are numbered.
I'm therefore intrigued to find out where other heathland species occur around Wilderness Wood. If they exist in significant numbers anywhere else then we have an opportunity to create further heathland pockets and attract species of plants animals currently not found here.
So I set off this sunny, if rather frosty, morning looking for the most likely sites. I have a base map with me to mark in any minor heathland communities we could look to enlarge. The obvious places would be where tree cover is limited, perhaps adjacent to paths, or even Jake's ride widening programme. Once again the A to Z Trail forms the basis of my exploration.
The conifer plantation near the main buildings is so dark that virtually nothing can grow under it. However, I am more optimistic when I arrive at the recently coppiced sweet chestnut near the Big Swing. Alas, nothing here at all and I conclude that as coppiced chestnut grows it drives out any heathland species with its dense shade. The area in question was coppiced just 2 years ago, but it seems no dormant heather seed has sprung up during post-coppicing period of high light penetration.
As I am looking at one of Jakes widened rides near Under-oak a small child on a mini-cycle whizzes past me down the trail. Her mother is not far behind carrying loads of toys, food, clothing etc. We get into conversation and it transpires a number of 'home-ed' parents are gathering at Under-oak for a Forest School session. When she discovers what I am doing she is keen to enrol me into taking the kids hunting for plants.
“Perhaps a bit later in the year I suggest.” That could be quite an interesting challenge!
Jake's widened rides draw a blank, as does the ancient coppice near Under-oak, but I do find my first Common Heather plant adjacent to a large cluster of rhododendron shrubs we have been battling for some years. Both species prefer acidic soils, so perhaps our work on the rhododendron eradication is assisting the Common Heather.
My first snippet of Common Heather - in open canopied woodland (inset).
A possible new heathland at Under-oak?
At West Gate I have the good fortune to bump into Andy Coates, our woodsman and we discuss where I might look. He also confirms my suspicions about the former whereabouts of heathland on-site. Nothing like what is shown on the AONB map.
I do however find a small amount of Bracken on Steep Hill, which becomes more numerous as I turn off towards Streamside. The woods here are bounded on their south side by open fields, so plenty of light streams in. Bracken, like Common Heather, prefers open ground away from dense shade. It grows a little too well at Bat Park and we have to knock it back a bit to give everything else a chance to grow. So the southern edge of the wood could be promising.
It used to be assumed that because heathland/heather moorland is the dominant vegetation type in upland Britain it was because trees can't survive the harsh climate found at higher elevations. However, we now know that many tree species can survive in these upland locations – Mountain Ash (Rowan), Hawthorn, Birch, Scots Pine all grow here. So what stops them cloaking the whole of upland Britain? Unsurprisingly the answer is Man. More specifically well heeled, huntin', shootin' Man.
Much of upland Britain is owned by individuals and groups who indulge in field sports such as deer hunting, deer stalking, grouse shooting etc. Wide open areas are better for the hunting (you can see your quarry) and the management of these forms of wildlife. Grouse feed off heather shoots, leaves and flowers, with young heather being most in favour. However they do nest in older heather.
Deer also browse young heather but can hide (seated) amongst the heather once it grows tall enough, but this is far less of a hunting issue than tree growth.
Basically trees are a bit of a nuisance to the sport and the easiest way to control tree growth is to graze it with sheep. Whilst sheep can't graze trees of any great size they can graze young seedlings. A form of infanticide I suppose. Take away the next generation and just wait for the older generation to die off. Without new growth of trees heather will have the run of upland Britain. The converse is also true - take away the sheep and in most instances the trees will return.
Conservation of heathland therefore is a balancing act between control of new tree growth (by grazing, cutting, burning etc.) and avoiding over grazing, which can lead to loss of the key heathland shrubs – heather, bilberry, gorse. Loss of these heathland shrubs turns heathland into acid grassland.
I find more heather just hanging on near Wood Glade where Jake is fortunately strimming the bramble that has grown up and suppressed the heather growth that once covered this patch of open ground. Perhaps we can save it?
The open area near Wood Glade where I am hopeful heather will return
I detour off to the new ponds to check on their health and am pleased to see that all is well there. On the way I find a few Common Heather plants close to post P on the A to Z Trail. This is a good open area which could one day be worth developing as a heathland.
Young Common Heather (inset) is doing well in this open area of the wood (Post P)
It is when climbing Holly Hill that I have my greatest success and again at post U near Bat Park. This side of the valley appears to favour heather growth, except where dense tree shade prevails.
Common Heather (dark green at edge of path) and Bracken (brown fronds above the heather) growing at the bottom of Holly Hill (Post U)
On the way up Holly Hill I spot a prolific holly tree which has shed most of its berries onto the ground. Here the flesh of the berries has either rotted, or been consumed. I suspect most have rotted revealing the bare seeds within. Some of these have obviously been nibbled by mice and voles to get to the soft centres of the holly seeds. This is a first for me. I am concerned how few birds I observe in the woods when I walk, yet the large amount of holly berries produced suggests we could support a lot more berry eating species. Instead the berries appear to largely go to waste.
Holly berries and their naked seeds strewn under a holly tree. Closer inspection reveals mice have cracked open the seeds to get to the soft embryo within.
Finally I arrive at Bat Park, where we are busy doing our heathland restoration project. 5 years ago we transplanted plugs of Heather taken from the small clump which survived the fire and encroaching tree growth. These were planted in lines about 18 inches apart (so that we could easily find, monitor and weed around them). Today the individual plants have spread into each other to give a more continuous cover.
1 inch plugs of Common Heather, now 12 inches in diameter. The mass of seeds will soon fall to the soil and germinate.
Rabbit grazing however, was a major issue. We found that allowing some bracken growth not only hid the heather from rabbit (and possibly deer) view, but also cast a bit of shade to reduce water loss in the hot dry summers of this location. Coincidentally, rabbit numbers dropped perhaps due to myxomatosis, or Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD). Now the heathland looks pretty healthy and should produce a mass of pink flowers this August.
At the northern end of the heathland bracken is allowed to grow – in the interests of increased biodiversity. Should it get out of control, it is a relatively small area to pull, or cut back. Much of the heather in this area is well established, perhaps protected from Rabbit grazing by the dense bracken cover. The insertion of a rabbit-proof fence around Bat Park will ensure rabbit grazing is controlled, once their numbers recover from the disease.
We have also allowed some tree regeneration, providing perches for birds. Once again it will be easy to reduce the cover to the 15% tree cover recommended for heathlands. One novel experiment is to allow scots pine to regenerate to perhaps a height of 6 feet and then sell them off as part of our Christmas stock. Good conservation needs to be supported financially by such innovative thinking.
Some young birch is allowed to grow to provide perches for birds, with a few self seeded Scots Pines to be sold a Christmas Trees in a few years time.
Despite the depredations of rabbits, a lot of heather plants have germinated from the seed-bank which was held in the excavated soil. This was redistributed to where the acid lowland grassland part of Bat Park now exists. If left alone, this heather could easily come to dominate the grassland, something we are keen to prevent. Alternatively, young tree seedlings could invade the area and revert it back to woodland. A mowing regime will probably need to be introduced before too long (or even sheep - dare I suggest?).
Uninvited cushions of new Common Heather growth dot the acid lowland grassland of Bat Park
The next heathland challenge will involve the introduction of other heathland species to Bat Park. These include Tormentil (which is already present), but also Bell Heather and Cross Leaved Heath which is not. Both species grow 4 miles away at Sussex Wildlife Trust's Selwyn Wood Nature Reserve not 3 miles away, so it may well find its way here under its own steam, or we may need to collect and propagate seed before planting-out as plugs.
Heathland v grassland v woodland is a fascinating balancing act to play with and will keep us busy for years to come at Wilderness Wood.
David Horne Please feel free to give me feedback and suggestions through the Wilderness Wood email - www.emilyanddan@wildernesswood.org and follow my walking ‘expeditions’ on www.leggingroundbritain.com