The magic of heaths
March 4, 2020
Kate Dziubinska, a Ranger for the National Park, explains why heaths hold a special place in her heart.
When asked where my favourite place in the South Downs National Park is, I really struggle to pick just one. Each beauty spot has its own special character that helps to make up our wonderful tapestry of landscape.
However I have come to realise that I am most happy when among tall pine trees and blooming purple heather. To share the feeling I get in these places let me set the scene: on a balmy summer’s evening you step on to the heath and feel the setting sun radiate the last of its rays on your skin.
The sandy ground is warm to the touch and hot and cold air pockets weave across the lie of the land. The reptiles and insects that once basked in the sun have returned to their burrows and, as darkness descends, Dartford warblers and stonechats retreat to their gorse bushes, giving way to gently chirring nightjars and hooting tawny owls. Walking through the aromatic heathland, scents of coconut from gorse flowers, honey-like heather, musty bracken and – when nearing the edge of the nearby plantation – sweet pine resin can be smelt. You look up to the tree tops as a gentle breeze echoes through the pine needles and notice the first stars have appeared in what will be a very dark night’s sky.
Although this scene depicts the calm of wooded heaths, there’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to keep them in harmony. The SDNPA works closely with forestry teams to achieve heathland conservation in and around their operations. Simple collaborations such as scraping the ground after tree thinning (heathlands occur on thin nutrient-poor soils) or spreading heather seed can really improve the biodiversity of a plantation. I think everyone should experience the magic of wooded heaths!
Picture by Mark Couper