This series has been placed with the kind permission of the Countryside Restoration Trust. There are 16 caches which take you on a 2.25 mile circuit of Green Farm (I suggest you follow them in numerical or reverse numerical order) and a bonus cache so don't forget to note down the numbers when you see them.
Some of the 200 acre estate is heathland, a habitat which has declined in the county for many decades, which is home to Woodlark, Dartford warblers, Nightjar, Woodcock, Redpoll, Tawny Owl, Roe Deer, Adder and Grayling Butterfly. The caches in this series are named after species of plants and animals found on Lowland Heaths in the South East of England (though you may not see the one it is named after at that location!).
A heathland is an open landscape dominated by low-growing plants. These are interspersed with areas of bare ground and scattered trees, providing important habitat for a huge range of butterflies, wasps, beetles, birds and reptiles. Soils are acidic and free-draining with very low nutrient levels. Heathlands developed over time as common-land areas. Historically locals would collect wood, bracken, gorse and heather for fuel, thatching and numerous other uses and villagers would graze their livestock. Over time this activity causes the heathland’s soil to become depleted of nutrients. Wildlife needs to be highly adapted to survive in such inhospitable conditions. The wildlife that has adapted to survive here, now depend on these rare heathland habitats for their survival. As UK heathland is lost, it becomes more and more difficult for these species to exist in Britain. Lowland Heathland is classed as a priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, with approximately 20% of the lowland heath in Europe being found in the UK.
Lousewort (Pedicularis bracteosa)
Lousewort common in much of UK except the south-east, East Anglia and the Home Counties where it has declined and is now very restricted due to ‘improvement’ of the damp, rough ground that it favours. Lousewort will grow in damp open grasslands on acid soils. The damp grasslands and bog edges of the New Forest suit it perfectly. As with many grassland flowers, lousewort requires grazing to prevent the grass getting too long and shading it out. It will also quickly decline if an area becomes too dry; increased drainage of an area can cause it to disappear. Lousewort is a semi-parasite of grasses, which means that it takes part of its nutrition by tapping into the roots of grasses and stealing their sap. Look for lousewort from May to August in slightly damp, grassy areas.
