Mousehold has different kinds of grassland – it all depends on soils and land-use history. Different plants and animals are associated with each kind, adding to the biodiversity of the Heath.
Neutral grassland
Desert Field was a brickworks in Victorian times. Today the clayey soils give rise to ‘neutral grassland’ where acidity is balanced with lime content, and typical meadow plants such as cocksfoot grass, ribwort plantain and yarrow can thrive.
In summer, Desert Field is managed like a traditional pasture or hay meadow, as is the nearby Gilman Road open space.
Grass is cut and raked using scythes and brush cutters. The arisings are removed to prevent a thatch of dead leaves from building up and stifling the flora, and are heaped nearby to make habitat piles for slow-worms, among others.
Thistle flowers are a rich source of nectar for many insects, such as this marmalade hoverfly on a spear thistle.
A september cranefly – often called daddy long Llegs. They hatch in late summer from larvae known as leatherjackets which feed on grass roots.
[Image courtesy Janet Graham, under CC BY 2.0 license via Wikimedia Commons]
Ragwort is a rich source of nectar for insects. It is a favoured foodplant of the cinnabar moth – see its black and yellow striped caterpillars and adults with beautiful crimson and black wings.
Meadow brown – a common butterfly whose caterpillars feed on grasses. It is often seen on bramble flowers.
[Image courtesy Nigel Hales]
The common carder bumble bee creates nests of clustered cells, often at the base of a grass clump. It is one species among the insect army of pollinators on Mousehold.
Hogweed can reach over six feet (2 m) high. Its creamy-white flowers provide a summer feast of nectar for many species of bees, flies and beetles. Some species over-winter in its dead stems.
The nursery web spider creates a tent-like web to shelter its brood. They often sun themselves with four front legs stretched out in pairs.
The slow worm is a shy type of legless lizard with beautiful, coppery scales. It favours warm, damp habitats such as long grass or piles of compost, where it lives on small invertebrates.
Acid grassland
In some places on Mousehold, thin, drought-prone, sandy soils give rise to ‘acid grassland’, which tends to grade into heathland proper or scrub. Certain plants thrive in these acidic conditions if they can tolerate a lack of lime. Such soils tend to warm up quickly in summer so they are favoured by warmth-loving species.
St James Hill is an area of acid grassland with patches of gorse and broom scrub.
Sheep’s sorrel lends a russet brown glow to the grassland in summer.
Fifteen years ago the Hill was cleared of bushes, but they are now re-invading.
Volunteer ‘scrub-bashing’ sessions help keep the grassland open, and maintain clear vistas across the city.
The common lizard is regularly seen on the Heath in summer, basking in sunny places. When disturbed they whisk away to safety.
[Image courtesy Ernie Woodrow]
Hedgehogs are becoming increasingly rare, due to adverse weather, habitat loss and poisoning by slug pellets. Look out for their distinctive black droppings full of crunchy-looking insect remains.
Juniper haircap moss carpets patches of sandy soil at St James’s Hill. Along with sheep’s sorrel, it has been able to colonise burnt ground following fires a few years ago.
All images courtesy the author, unless otherwise indicated.
