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Butterflies
of the World - Lifecycle, Ecology, Taxonomy, Conservation,
Photography, Butterfly Holidays, Photo Galleries, Book Reviews and
more.........
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Butterfly Diary - latest sightings Where to find butterflies Frequently Asked Questions Test Your Knowledge Strange but true ! Taxonomy & Evolution Anatomy Lifecycle Ecology Survival Strategies The Enemies of Butterflies Migration & Dispersal Habitats in Britain Rainforests World Butterfly Census Butterfly Books Butterfly Art Gallery Butterfly photography Butterflies of the British Isles Butterflies of the French Alps Butterflies of Amazonia Butterflies of the Andes Butterflies of Malaysia & Borneo Butterflies of West Africa Species index Subject index Glossary
Text and photographs
protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins
2007, and must not be published
in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the
author.
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Habitats
in Britain
- and their
management
Heathlands and moors
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian
Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part
or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from
Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
Website designed, produced and owned by
Adrian Hoskins
British heathlands and grasslands originally came into existence when Bronze Age man cleared the woodlands for cultivation. Grasslands such as the South Downs developed on calcareous soils ( chalk and limestone ), but only heathers, birch and pines could survive on poorer acidic soils. Heathlands and moors support quite a limited range of butterflies, mainly amongst the Satyrinae, Lycaeninae, Polyommatinae and Hesperiinae. Controlled burning Some heaths, such as those in the New Forest and Exmoor are traditionally grazed by ponies; but controlled burning is the primary heathland management tool. Areas that are not periodically burned become very overgrown with heather, gorse, birch and young pines, and eventually revert to woodland. Burning releases nitrates, and allows the habitat to regenerate, producing fine grasses, trefoils, milkworts and a carpet of fresh young cross-leaved heath, foodplant of the Silver-studded Blue. Fires can get out of control, so heaths nearly always have a network of wide firebreaks, and these are mown periodically, producing a mix of fine grasses and exposed soil, which is favoured by Satyrines such as the Grayling and the Small Heath.
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