Plants – We thought we’d give you a break from birds this week! We have several heathland plants that are of national and European importance. Most are small and nothing much to look at but are of greater importance from a conservation perspective than many of the bird species that breed on the island. Our 4 top players are:
Pillwort Three lobed water crowfoot Floating water plantain Yellow centaury
They thrive in and around acidic heath-land pools with low nutrient status and because we don’t use any chemicals here, the island ponds are ideal. All these plants need open conditions which is why we use ponies and red deer to keep the more dominant vegetation in check. These species have dramatically declined in other parts of the UK and Europe due to a loss of habitat and increased nutrient run-off from intensive agriculture. Some can be found on mainland Pembs e.g .the Dowrog common.