Mousehold belongs to group of surviving local heaths such as Buxton and Cawston.
Heathland soils are easily leached by rainwater so they are lacking in plant nutrients, notably humus and calcium, and so become acidic. You will see few snails on heathland because they need calcium for their shells.
There are two main areas of heathland on Mousehold. They include patches of heather, gorse and bracken, which are vulnerable to encroachment from trees and to fire damage. Their soils are very stony.
The hummocky terrain near Vinegar Pond is the result of wartime disturbance.
Unfurling bracken fronds are a delight to see in Springtime. Bracken also grows in the moist woodland soils.
Heather, bracken and gorse in Heathland Area 1 – disturbed topsoil in the foreground is helping heather to regenerate and ground nesting and hunting insects to thrive. Heather flowers are at their best in August and September.
A White-tailed Bumble Bee gathering nectar from Bell Heather.
Green Tiger Beetle – a spectacular, fast-moving predator on open ground.
Trailing St John’s-Wort has been found on Mousehold – a scarce plant of dry, acid soils.
The Sand Tailed Digger Wasp needs loose, dry soils for its nest burrow – seen here provisioning one with weevil prey.
The plain brown wings of the Green Hairstreak butterfly are a surprising contrast to its metallic green under-wings. Its caterpillars feed on gorse, broom and bramble.
Heaths have a particular value for warmth-loving insect life such as grasshoppers, solitary bees and wasps. This Mottled Grasshopper is sunning itself on a sprig of heather.
Heathland plants are often small, ground-hugging types. Here we see little ‘starbursts’ of Juniper Haircap moss.
Heath Bedstraw has rambling stalks and tiny white flowers which make a fragrant display in summer.
Gorse has coconut-scented flowers which are a blessing for insects. It may rapidly colonise disturbed ground, thanks to its projectile seed pods.
Distinctive hairy, black St Mark’s flies are on the wing around May Day. They hatch from the ground then spend much of their short lives mating.
A Small Copper butterfly gathering nectar from a Marsh Thistle.
All images courtesy the author, unless otherwise indicated.
