Bad weather for heather

THE glorious purple haze of late summer and autumn has long been a favourite countryside scene, but our heather, like much else, is under threat from climate change, says the National Trust. The charity is particularly concerned about Long Mynd in Shropshire (above) and Holnicote on Exmoor, which should be ablaze with colour, but are covered only in muddy-brown vegetation, 75% of it in poor health. The knock-on effect of this is serious for wildlife, such as red grouse and emperor moths, which feed on heather.

‘Last year’s high temperatures and subsequent lack of rain damaged a large area and it’s clear from the orangey-brown colouration this year that the plants are seriously stressed and unlikely to flower,’ explains Shropshire’s Peter Carty. ‘The milder winter also led to an increase in the heather beetle numbers... [which damage] the outer layers of the leaf, making it more susceptible to drought.’

‘The effect of the heather beetle is getting worse and worse,’ agrees Amanda Anderson, director of the Moorland Association. ‘This year has been atrocious. Hundreds of acres of heather in the North of England have been affected, particularly Swaledale, the North York Moors and the Forest of Bowland; in some places, the plant is 50% dead.’

She continues: ‘To aid recovery, we’ve been studying whether cutting, burning or doing nothing is best. Normally, a “cool burn”—burning off only the canopy—invigorates the seeds below, a technique that requires years of experience. But it’s problematic, as we need diversity, not huge swathes treated in large patches, plus Government policy on moss can cause competing tensions.’ The importance of this crisis should not be diminished. ‘Heather is a component of blanket bog and dwarf shrub heath, priority habitat... The UK contains 75% of the world’s remaining heather.’