17.04.2025 - Indoor Meeting : Wild Landscapes of East Anglia

Speaker: Nick Acheson​
Report: Sue Gale

When we have a talk from Nick Acheson, we are confident that it will be both entertaining and packed with information. This evening’s talk was no exception, and that wealth of information makes a detailed report impractical. It would fill a few newsletters! So, I will just outline the framework of the talk.

Nick started with a quick run-down of the underlying geology of Norfolk, since this dictates the flora of any region, and therefore also the rest of its biology. The major rock in Norfolk is chalk, which is about 80-100 million years old but over time the chalk has been covered with later rocks – clag in the West and more modern sediments in the East. The chalk is not often seen at the surface, but it can be found at West Runton beach, along with the flints that formed in gaps in the chalk and the famous fossils. On top of the bedrocks are formed soils, made up of worn-down rock plus organic matter. The result in Norfolk is light sandy soils in the North of the county but mixed with clay further south.
Looking first at seaside landscapes. Nick described the soft cliffs of the
region, that slump in heavy rain and reveal their fossils, but are also the only place to find Purple Broomrape. He then moved on to the more mobile
beaches. Sand dunes are formed when sand is blown inland by the wind
and slowly builds up behind any obstacle it encounters. Early plants like
Prickly Saltwort move in and stabilise the dunes and add organic matter, so
grasses like Marram and eventually Sea Holly etc can establish. The
succession can be traced inland in the dunes, where eventually animals also take up residence, and in the dune slacks freshwater pools house Natterjack Toads. Shingle beaches are created by the more energetic waves, and we get Horned Poppy and Sea Kale. Lastly saltmarsh is found in low energy areas, behind spits or islands. Here algae get established and later Samphire and Sea lavender. These are important habitats for breeding and wintering birds.

Moving on to the land, Nick started with woodlands, which tend to be Oak
woods in the north and Hornbeam in the south of the county. Long ago
Norfolk would have been covered in woodland and the remaining woods
support the bluebells, wood anemones etc that we love to see. We also find
4 types of Fritillary, which thrive on the wild honeysuckle that we no longer
clear away. The larger mammals are important for species diversity in the
forest, but many, like the Aurochs, have died out. Conservationists frequently use pigs as a proxy for these.
Heathlands were created because of deforestation, which began as long ago as the Bronze Age. Large areas of Norfolk were littered with rubble from retreating glaciers, and the heaths were established where the soil was sandy and poor. Tough plants like Heathers and Gorse could survive here.
Originally often used as common land where livestock was grazed, we now mimic that by using animal grazing to conserve the heaths. These areas become the homes of Hairstreak butterflies and Nightjars, and on the wetter heaths of Sundews and Black Darters.

Where the soil is more chalky the grasslands took over when the trees were removed. Here the grazing is often done by sheep, but White Park cattle may also be used. The lovely flora includes cowslips, Dropwort and the rare Clustered Bellflower, while the Field Grasshopper and Silver-studded Blue butterfly also thrive.
Norfolk is also home to the Brecks – the only steppe grassland to be found in Britain. The soil is light and thin, and the climate is extreme. Frosts have been recorded in every month but also some of the highest temperatures occur here. This land was traditionally grazed by rabbits, which were actively farmed by the warreners, and some areas still are, notably to encourage Stone Curlews. Many rare and scarce plants
frequent the Brecks, often found nowhere else in the UK. 97%
of the national population of the Fingered Speedwell is found
at Weeting Heath. Wetlands, surprisingly, are also important
here, whether they be the Pingos of Thompson Common,
where 58 red data species can be found, or the fluctuating
meres of Wretham. Pool frogs have been re-introduced in the
Brecks after the population had shrunk to a single male.

The area we are more likely to associate with wetlands is the Broads, where
we find grazing marshes that are important for waterfowl and amphibians,
and where Yellow Rattle helps restrict grasses and encourages many species of Orchids. The Fens are managed not by grazing but by cutting the reeds,
still used for thatching. Many rare plants are actively conserved here,
including the Fen Orchid, Grass of Parnassus and the Milk Parsley so
important for Swallowtail butterflies. Norfolk Hawkers are doing well here,
as are the recently reintroduced Fen Raft Spiders. Nick surprised us with the
fact that there are millions of Harvest Mice thriving here.

The final landscape Nick took us to was the arable one. Crop monocultures had much reduced biodiversity in the farmlands, but recently there has been more recognition of the need to manage for wildlife and various plants can be found at the field edges, although the Rough Poppy is still very rare.
Alien species have colonised quite successfully, often to the detriment of indigenous species, like the Himalayan Balsam , the Harlequin Ladybird and the Signal Crayfish. The increase in temperatures has allowed other more welcome species to colonise, like the Wasp Spider, Willow Emerald Damselfly and Worzels Bush Cricket.
So, our landscapes continue to evolve, and we are lucky to have someone like Nick to chronicle those changes and keep us so well informed.