| Introduction |
| Lowland Hay Meadows |
| Shepherd's Needle (Scandix pecten-veneris) |
Old meadows and pastures are wonderful places for wildlife. They contain a rich
variety of plants and insects and provide feeding and nesting places for birds.
These
grasslands were once common in the countryside and were maintained by a long
tradition of low-intensity grazing or hay-making. However, over the last fifty
years farming has become more intensive and most of these rich wildlife
habitats have been lost through ploughing, reseeding or treatment with chemical
fertiliser and herbicides. Such agriculturally improved grasslands support very
few plant and animal species.
Arguably Suffolk’s most threatened habitat, unimproved grassland now amounts to only 2000 hectares, a mere 100 hectares of which still hosts the “typical” plant community of hay meadows. Conservation of those remaining old meadows and pastures is therefore extremely important. Certain fields that are particularly rich in wildlife have been notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSls) and others are managed as nature reserves.
In non-agricultural settings, fragmented examples can be found in churchyards, on road verges, and on village greens and commons. Some of these old grasslands are used as horse pasture or meadow, others are still pasture for cattle and sheep.
Horse owners can play an important part in conserving these grasslands because conservation fits in well with good horse management. Often horse and pony owners do not want grass enriched with fertilisers because lush grazing can lead to obesity and the danger of laminitis. Old meadows and pastures provide a natural “herbmix” rich in minerals, and hay made from these fields is highly prized. At the same time, these grasslands benefit from the continuation of grazing and hay-making, which keep them from disappearing under bramble and scrub.
Poor grassland management can be very damaging. One of the main problems is over-grazing. If there is insufficient land for the grazing animals the grasses and wildflowers are grazed very hard and sensitive plant species are lost from the sward. Areas of bare, trampled ground increase and problem weeds, particularly thistles, docks and poisonous ragwort readily take hold. Dunging becomes concentrated in latrine areas which are left ungrazed, putting more pressure on the remaining grassland. Latrine areas are poor in plant species because they are overenriched with nutrients from the dung. Such “horse-sick” pastures are of little or no value to horse keepers or for nature conservation.
The grassland found in churchyards is unlikely to have been fertilised or reseeded and is therefore often rich in wildflowers which are now so scarce elsewhere. Careful management of all or part of a churchyard to favour these wildflowers offers a unique opportunity to safeguard this valuable habitat in a place where it can be enjoyed by parishioners and visitors alike.
Flower-rich grassland does not thrive on neglect. If left to its own devices, it will be overtaken by scrub and invasive plants such as nettle and hogweed. To maintain the floral diversity the grassland needs to be cut and the clippings removed. Cutting should be timed to allow the grasses and other species to flower and set seed. In most situations July is the best time for cutting, but this will vary depending on the local conditions and the range of species present. A further cut and rake off in September/October is often beneficial.
It is very important to rake off and remove clippings - if left on, they smother delicate plants and increase fertility, which encourages rank growth at the expense of wildflowers. If clippings are left to dry for a few days after cutting, this enables the flowers to shed any ripe seed, and insects are able to make their escape. Cut vegetation can either be removed off site or piled up in an out of the way corner, where it will provide a useful habitat for creatures such as hedgehogs and slow-worms.
The wildflowers and the grasses provide the foodplants to support a variety of invertebrates at the bottom of the food chain; these in turn support small mammals and birds. Some insects are easily identified indicators of diversity; more butterfly species live on grass than on nettles, and a total of 15 of Suffolk’s butterflies are supported by grasses and plants to be found in meadows (19 if nettle & thistle are counted).
The Habitat Action Plan for Lowland Hay Meadows, reproduced below, sets goals for local key partners to safeguard existing sites, to encourage the use of agrienvironmental grants to establish new grasslands within countryside stewardship schemes, and to advise landowners of best management practice to benefit diversity.
If
you own grassland, even a patch that does not match the “unimproved”
specification, you may wish to know that helpful brochures are available from
the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and English Nature, as follows:
“Horses, grasslands
& nature conservation” by English Nature & the British Horse Society.
“Meadow
Management”, “Meadow Creation” “A Guide to Churchyard Management”, all by SWT.
Additionally, the Suffolk Wildlife Trust is happy to offer advice on the best timing and frequency of cutting for individual churchyards or meadows, and other aspects of grassland management.
The increasing use of herbicides and fertilizers have also had an important impact on the weeds of arable land, including 2 wildflowers featured in this issue - Shepherd’s-needle and Spreading Hedge-parsley. Both of these BAP species are now rare in Suffolk, but were found as colonists amongst crops, though not in hay meadows.
Rob Parker
Shepherd’s needle (Scandix pecten-veneris)
This annual plant was once common in arable fields. It has suffered a severe decline nationally due largely to agricultural intensification and the low level of seed dormancy of the plant.
1 Current status
1.1 National
The UK population of Shepherd’s needle has declined from over 500 ten
km squares to only about 60 in recent years. It is now restricted to east of a
line from the Humber to the Bristol Channel.
1.2 Local
Despite
the national decline, Shepherd’s needle appears to have recovered somewhat from
past decline in Suffolk, with large populations at some sites. The bulk of the
seed germinates in autumn, which fits in well with cultivations and drilling
soon after harvest. It appears to be partially unaffected by some herbicides.
1.3 Natural Areas
East
Anglian Plain, Suffolk Coasts and Heaths.
1.4 Protection
Classified
as Nationally Scarce, (i.e. it occurs in between 16 and 100 10km squares), but
receives only general protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
2 Current factors causing loss or decline
The following agricultural changes were largely responsible for the decline of Shepherd’s needle and they are now providing constraints on recovery: Increased use of herbicides and fertilisers. The development of highly competitive crop varieties. Major changes in seed cleaning techniques. The demise of crop rotations and the ability to grow monocultures over long
periods. Deeper and more intensive cultivations. Loss
of field-edge refuges.
3 Current action The location at Great Waldingfield Airfield is designated as a County Wildlife Site.
Further new sites may be found as a direct result of a countywide survey of Suffolk’s flora currently in progress.
Continue with arable wild flower projects set up by English Nature and SWT (Fox burrow Farm).
4 Action plan objectives and targets
1 Maintain and enhance viable populations at current sites.
2 Contribute to the Kew Seed Bank Project.
3 Ensure that a project exists in Suffolk to promote all necessary actions for arable wildflowers.
4 Seek to enhance Countryside and Arable Stewardship agreements for field margins.
5 Increase knowledge of local ecology of the species.
These are unimproved grasslands that support a rich assemblage of native species i.e. grasslands which have not been altered significantly by the use of agricultural chemicals or by other agricultural activities. 97% of unimproved grassland has been lost in the last 50 years and it is Suffolk’s most threatened habitat.
1
Definition
This plan incorporates a number of unimproved grassland types in Suffolk. Of particular ecological value are the typical species-rich hay meadows associated with the boulder clay soils of the county. Often termed ‘Old
Meadow’, these grasslands are characterised by a long history of traditional management i.e. lack of disturbance by ploughing or the use of agricultural chemicals. The plan however is not restricted to grasslands cut for hay, but
also takes into account unimproved neutral pasture where livestock grazing is the main land use.
2 Current status
2.1 Local
The
loss of unimproved grassland in Suffolk (96% since 1939) mirrors the drastic loss which has occurred elsewhere in lowland England and Wales. It was estimated in 1984 that semi-natural grassland had declined by 97% over the
previous 50 years.
It now estimated that there are only 15000 hectares of species-rich neutral
grassland remaining in the UK. In Suffolk, recent estimates indicate that there are less than 2000 hectares of the resource left.
The typical plant community (MG5 in the National Vegetation Classification) of hay
meadows and pastures on the Suffolk boulder clay soils is now localised, fragmented and occurs in small stands. In Suffolk there are less than 100 hectares remaining, 2% of the estimated national resource. In non- agricultural
settings, good examples can be found in churchyards, on road verges and village greens and commons.
In
addition to a wide range of flowering plants and mosses, unimproved grasslands are habitats for other groups including invertebrates, birds and small mammals.
2.2 Natural Areas
Suffolk Coast and Heaths, The Broads, East Anglian Plain and Breckland.
3 Current factors affecting the habitat in Suffolk
Although largely an historic influence, agricultural improvement remains a threat at some sites: drainage, ploughing, reseeding, fertiliser treatment, application
of herbicides,conversion to arable and a shift from hay-making to silage production. Neglect through a decline in levels and extent of livestock grazing.
Abandonment leading to rank overgrowth, and scrub encroachment.
Low agricultural value of hay and species-rich pasture.
Changes in plant communities due to heavy grazing pressure.
Dehydration through lowered water tables due to surface and ground water abstraction and effects of drought.
4 Current action
1,967 hectares of unimproved neutral grassland are designated as 5551 or as non-statutory sites (County Wildlife Sites).
Agri-environment schemes in Suffolk i.e. the Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme and the Countryside Stewardship Scheme provide the main financial incentives to encourage appropriate management of unimproved grassland.
The Suffolk Wildlife Trust County Wildlife Site project aims to provide landowners of grassland sites with advice on conservation management and grant aid, where appropriate. A register of graziers has been set up to encourage the grazing of small, often inaccessible, sites.
Countryside Management projects and volunteers provide practical help on a number of sites.
5 Action plan objectives and targets
1 Maintain extent of ecologically valuable unimproved grassland.
2 Secure favourable condition on unimproved grassland sites wherever feasible.
3 Re-establish 20 hectares of flower rich grassland by 2010.
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