Heathland

The most acidic, dry, sandy soils are difficult for many plants to cope with and it is usually members of the heather family - the so-called 'ericaceous' plants - that deal with it best, along with a few, adapted grass species. Despite being on a bedrock of chalk, East Anglia has several regions of acidic sands, mostly derivied from glacial, water-washed sands that later became wind-blown and formed higher ridges of ground. The Suffolk Sandlings, Breckland and the Greensand ridge of West Norfolk are all fine examples, along with isolated, smaller regions of North Norfolk and the Mid-Norfolk heaths.

Although heathland is often thought of as natural, the open expanses of heather that typify such habitats are in fact mostly a result of long term grazing by livestock, especially sheep. However, heather-dominated communities can also develop in coastal sites, especially acidic sand dunes, where harsher weather conditions from wind and salt make it difficult for tree cover to develop. Heathlands require intensive, sympathetic management to maintain species-rich habitat and most of our heathland regions are nature reserves or protected lands and managed with wildlife in mind, though management regimes can be intensive and expensive, especially in the prevention of scrub encroachment from birch, pine, bracken and gorse.

1. Dry Heaths

The great majority of heathlands fall into this habitat type, due to the free-draining nature of the sandy soils on which they develop. Heathland can generally be relatively species-poor, due to the growing conditions imposed by the acidic soils and dryness and large tracts can be dominated by Common Heather and either Common or Western Gorse. However, more species-rich mosaics within these areas develop and, given the specific growing requirements, heathland plants can be highly restricted only to these heathland sites. Heath Rush, Heath-grass and Heath Bedstraw are all good examples of species that are named for their close association to this habitat type and all form part of the plant communities that develop here.

After livestock farming declined in East Anglia from its peak in the 15th Century, many heaths were overwhelmed by scrub and declined in their wildlife value. In addition, the nature of the soil made arable farming difficult and large tracts of heathland were planted with non-native conifer plantation as a way to make 'best use' of the land. In Breckland in particular, huge areas of heathland (both acidic heather heath and more chalky 'grass heath') were lost in this way, while other areas were lost to various other uses, especially military. The planting of conifers caused ground disturbance that also encouraged large populations of Rosebay Willowherb and Wood Small-reed to develop. However, the tide has turned on this view and most heaths that survived are now protected and recovering to their former glory.

Rotational management of heather can open up the ground temporarily and such areas are often colonised by large stands of Wavy Hair-grass. Open ground along tracks and where rabbits disturb the ground can provide suitable ground for a whole suite of heathland plants including some of rarest species; Common Viper's-bugloss forms large stands in Breckland, while some of the special heathland gems include Petty whin, Mossy Stonecrop, Field Mous-ear, Shepherd's Cress, Red-tipped Cudweed and Perennial Knawel.


The full suite of heathland communities ranges from a Birch-Oak woodland, through Gorse Scrub and Heather-Wavy Hair-grass communities to communities of small annual species on open tracksides.	Apart from Common Heather, the triumvirate of open heath communities tends to include Bracken, Wavy Hair-grass and Bell Heather.

Regenerating Bell Heather with seedling Silver Birch after cutting to regenerate the vegetation. Birch encroachment into managed sites can be so intensive that even grazing won't control it.	Mature Common Heather covering large areas of open heath.

Large areas of heathland can be covered in pink-tinged stands of Wavy Hair-grass.	Remnant pockets of heathland survive on the wider tracks and rides through conifer plantations.

Communities of small, annual species can develop on disturbed, bare sand, here including Mossy Stonecrop, Little Mouse-ear and Bird's-foot.	In extreme conditions on mobile dunes in Breckland and along the coast, flowering plants are few and discrete tussocks of weather-shaped Common Heather and Grey Hair-grass survive amongst a species-rich lichen community.

Some Typical Species

European Rhododendron

Common Viper's-bugloss

Species to Look Out For

Trailing St John's-wort

Places to Visit

Buxton Heath, Norfolk

Cavenham Heath, Suffolk

Cawston Heath, Norfolk

Dunwich Heath, Suffolk

Kelling Heath, Norfolk

Roydon Common, Norfolk

Salthouse Heath, Norfolk

Sutton Heath, Suffolk

Thetford Warren, Norfolk

Westleton Heath, Suffolk

Winterton Dunes, Norfolk

2. Wet Heaths

Wetter areas of ground can develop on acidic soils where there are springs or seepages or where there might be an underlying area of less pervious soil. Small areas can appear in lower-lying sections of sand dune comlexes and are known as dune slacks, while larger areas of wet heath develop along valley bottoms and give way at the wettest sections to valley mire and bog communities. Typically there is a seemless gradient from dry heath, through wet heath to valley mire and bogs and defining precise lines is not always possible.

As with dry heath, plant communities can be rather species-poor, becoming more species-rich in even wetter, valley mire or bog communities and members of the heather family tend to dominate. Both Common and Bell Heather can tolerate wetter ground, but the key indicator of damper conditions is the presence of Cross-leaved Heath, while Purple Moor-grass tends to replace Wavy Hair-grass. Other species such as Heath Rush, Tormentil and Heath Spotted Orchid appear, while rarities include Petty Whin, Marsh Gentian, White Beak-sedge and Common Deergrass. Scrubby patches are generally thin and low and may include Downy Birch and Eared and Creeping Willows.


Naturally sloping ground at Dersingham Bog creates a full set of heathland communities, from coniferous woodland, through dry heath and wet heath to valley mire and bog.	Wet heath gives way to valley mire, with stands of Cross-leaved Heath and sphagnum appearing on the tussock bases of Purple Moor-grass. In wetter areas the land transitions to valley mire and Sharp-leaved Rush becomes more frequent. patchy scrub includes Eared and Creeping Willows, while Marsh Helleborne and Heath Spotted Orchid can form good colonies.

Pale pink flowers of Cross-leaved Heath and the bright green stems of White Beak-sedge, the latter a very rare plant in East Anglia.	A gradient of heath habitats in coastal dunes, from dry lichen heath through tussocky heather to wet heath dominated by Purple Moor-grass and tussocks of European Royal Fern.