Culm grassland


Culm grassland. Ever heard of it? No, neither had I until I visited this part of north Cornwall. It is a much reduced grassland/heath habitat owing to it being turned over for agricultural use. It has a specialised flora, including some species that are rare nationally or at least have restricted ranges.

Yesterday afternoon, under a blue sky, I visited Greena Moor, a Plantlife reserve south of the vilage of Week St Mary. You will need precise directions to find it, although there is a sign on a roadside gateway to give you a clue as to the culm grassland's whereabouts.

There are a couple of areas on the reserve that I found particularly rewarding - a sloping field with a stream running through it, the stream side being full of Marsh Ragwort, Water Mint, Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil, Wild Angelica and, star of the show, Wavy St.John's-wort. This latter species could also be found in good numbers closer to the reserve entrance, in a boggy field corner, along with another botanical star, Whorled Carraway. I did get some good images of these plants, and they are waiting to be uploaded onto this post, but at the moment Blogger isn't allowing me to. They will appear soon...

For more information on culm grassland and Greena Moor, click here click here

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