Wildlife and plants
The special habits of our heathland are home to a range of flora and fauna.
Heathland insects
Among the many insects you’ll find on our heathland are the:
- wasp spider
- silver studded blue butterfly
- grayling butterfly
- small red damselfly
- heath grasshopper
- bog bush cricket
- green tiger beetle.
Heathland birds
The wide variety of insects on the heathland attracts a range of birds, including the:
- Dartford warbler
- a rare bird of the southern heathland which can be seen flitting across the tops of the heath all year, with a distinctive long tail and scratchy song
- hobby
- a bird of prey that may be seen swooping down for dragonflies during the summer months
- nightjar
- the strange metallic churr that can be heard at dusk in the summer months is the nightjar.
Heathland plants
The main plants found on heathland in the Poole area are:
- common heather, or ling
- bell heather with its brightly coloured flowers
- the short tufts of bristle bent grass
- common and western gorse.
In the wetter areas you'll also find:
- the pale flowers of cross-leaved heath cotton grass
- the yellow flower spikes of bog asphodel
- sundews, with tiny sticky red leaves that trap insects.
Heathland reptiles
All 6 British reptiles can be found on the heaths of Southeast Dorset. They are the:
- smooth snake
- Britain's rarest, non-venomous snake can be found in deep heather
- sand lizard
- Britain's rarest lizard can be seen basking on the edge of sandy tracks
- adder
- Britain's only venomous snake, the adder avoids all contact with humans and dogs and will only bite as a last method of defence
- common lizard
- a lizard which likes basking in open, sunny places
- grass snake
- a non-venomous, sun-loving snake with a distinctive black collar around its neck
- slow worm
- not a worm or a snake but a legless lizard.
The Reptile Guide from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust has more information.