Grassland

In the UK, this is a successional stage between bare ground and woodland, and without some sort of external influence would normally soon become scrub and ultimately tree covered. This influence can be grazing (as in a pasture) or mowing (as in a hay-meadow or a lawn). In prehistoric times grassland would have been a natural component of a dynamic landscape, forever changing as areas of woodland were cleared by storms or fires allowing light demanding species to maintain a foothold until scrub and trees took over again. Herds of grazing animals may well have helped to keep some areas as grassland on an almost permanent basis.

Until the 1940s, most farm fields supported a very rich variety of plant species and consequently huge numbers of insects, mammals and birds. Schemes aimed at boosting food production intensified agriculture and many old meadows and pastures were ploughed up and sown with protein rich but wildlife unfriendly rye-grass. The introduction of artificial fertilisers and weedkillers and the shift from haymaking to silage production have all had serious impacts too. In recent times various organisations have tried to halt and even reverse a lot of this damage by protecting the important grasslands and recreating new species rich meadows wherever possible.

The best time of year to explore the rich abundance of life in a grassland is May, June or July, when birds and insects are at their peaks and the grasses and wildflowers are in full bloom. Take along an identification guide and see how many species you can recognise.

Maintaining botanical diversity is dependent upon management. Here is a list of the positive and negative things that can be done:

Positives

• The grass needs to be controlled in some way to prevent succession and loss of diversity. This can be through annual mowing or grazing. 
• An early cut, just after the start of the growing season can further aid diversity. 
• Removing all cut material can reduce nutrient levels which will aid less competitive species.

Negatives

• Using any form of herbicide will reduce the numbers of plant species growing. It may be worth making exceptions for problem species such as docks or thistles though.
• The use of fertiliser or slurry will encourage the more dominant species, such as rye grass. 
• Mechanical operations (e.g. harrowing, rolling etc) in early spring can affect ground nesting birds.