The highlight of the summer at Cleaver was the appearance of new heather growth within both the experimental regeneration area where seed containing heather shoots were spread last October, and across the main areas of the reserve that were badly damaged by fire in August last year. Gorse, birch, bracken and grass regrowth has been vigorous across the burnt areas since the fire so it is very gratifying to finally see the new heather growing from both seed and underground shoots of mature heather whose rootstock survived the heat.
New heather growth at Cleaver Heath
Within the regeneration area, despite the clearance of significant amounts of bracken rhizome by the contractors, and subsequently by the volunteers, regrowth of bracken occurred, especially around the edges of the area and volunteers have been kept busy pulling the fronds away from the new underlying heather.
Clearing bracken from the heather regeneration area
Volunteers also worked hard to clear bracken from those areas of the main heather panel which thankfully were spared by the fire last year. Even before the fire, bracken clearance within this part of the heath been an annual task for many years and while never completely eliminating bracken, it has seen bracken growth become significantly less vigorous over time.
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| More bracken clearance! |
Graham from CWT has been strimming very vigorous bracken regrowth across the burnt areas of the lower sloping heath and the volunteers raked off the cut fronds to help any new underlying heather growth.
The new heather growth across the reserve coincided with the UK's hottest summer on record according to the Met Office so it has been a challenge for it to survive especially across the burnt areas where the exposed surface soil has become visibly cracked and parched. While some of it has suffered and turned brown in the heat, significant amounts of new heather have survived, helped by the recent rains. Unfortunately the hot weather does not seem to have adversely affected the growth of birch and gorse seedlings and bracken!!
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| Cracks in the very dry ground during the hot summer |
It is always a pleasure to take a break from the physical work during task days and explore the wildlife of the heath. Interesting observations include a common lizard within a burnt area among some dead gorse, a buff-tip moth caterpillar munching on a young birch seedling, many nursery-web spiders and webs on gorse, heather and grasses and an ant-bug (Alydus calcaratus) a dry heathland specialist, so-called because young nymphs resemble ants and may develop within ant nests of which there are many on Cleaver!
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| Common lizard and buff tip moth caterpillar |
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| Ant bug and nursery web spider |
On a particularly hot day in July it was unusual to see a very white, gilled fungus growing out from the base of a mature birch tree in the wooded area surrounding the heath. It seems to fit the description of the pale oyster mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) which tends to favour warmer conditions for growth compared with other Pleurotus species.
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| Oyster mushroom |
Alan Irving's annual butterfly transect count for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) from Cleaver to Thurstaston, has revealed a bumper year overall with 16 species recorded at Cleaver dominated by speckled woods, small whites, green-veined whites, holly blues and gatekeepers.
Below is a photo of a gatekeeper feeding on ragwort within the wildflower area at Cleaver which was originally a car park for the old hospital.
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| Gatekeeper butterfly on ragwort |
Acknowledgement to all the volunteers who contributed photos for this update.
John McGaw
Volunteer Warden, Cleaver Heath
