The loss of more than 95% of this habitat since the 1940s means that today even small areas of wild flower-rich grassland are important, while many of the species associated with them have become rare.
Local surveys may still discover remnants of this habitat that have not yet been identified.
These species were once much more widespread in Norfolk’s countryside. If you find them they may indicate remnants of old grassland. However, be aware that these species are often included in seed mixes used on roadside verges as part of road improvement programmes and meadow recreations.
Surveying meadows – What types of grasslands can be found in Norfolk?
The types of grassland and the plants that grow in them are influenced by many factors including their current and past history of management, grazing (or lack thereof), aspect and slope, soil types and drainage. Some plant species are particularly associated with chalk or base rich soils and others with neutral or acid soils. Each type of grassland has its own special plants and grasses and these ‘indicator species’ can help identify what type of grassland is present.
Improved agricultural grassland
Most of Norfolk’s grasslands on farmland fall into this category. They can be recognised by a uniform green appearance at most times of the year. Surveying meadows more closely will show a dominance of grass species with few wild flowers. There might sometimes be good numbers of clovers present, as these may be included in agricultural seed mixes. Improved grassland will usually be either cut for silage or used for grazing livestock. In wet fields there may be substantial areas of rushes and species such as creeping thistle or ragwort can be present on improved agricultural grassland which has been neglected.
Chalk and basic/calcareous grassland
Chalk grasslands in Norfolk are mainly confined to the north-west of the county and to Breckland. In other areas chalk and basic grassland is often associated with human activity, which has scraped off the top soil to reveal the chalk below. Some road verges, railway cuttings, or archaeological sites such as ancient castles, forts or ecclesiastical sites may have small but important areas of this type of grassland.
When surveying a meadow look for:
- Greater knapweed
- Field scabious
- Kidney vetch
Click here for a more complete list of plants characteristic of basic grassland in Norfolk.
Neutral and boulder clay grasslands
The most likely areas to find this type of grassland are on the claylands of south central and north-east Norfolk. However, areas of neutral soils do occur in many areas of Norfolk - including, for example, the valley sides in Broadland and on the clay loams on the edge of Fenland.
When surveying a meadow look for:
- Germander speedwell
- Sulphur clover
- Cowslip
Click here for a more complete list of plants characteristic of basic grassland in Norfolk.
Acid grasslands
The largest remaining areas of acid grasslands in Norfolk are in Breckland and the acidic, sandy soils of the Cromer to Holt ridge. Acid grasslands can also be found in other parts of Norfolk and are often associated with heathland or former heathland areas.
When surveying a meadow look for:
- Bird’s-foot trefoil
- Common centaury
- Harebell
Click here for a more complete list of plants characteristic of basic grassland in Norfolk.
Marshy and fen grasslands
These grasslands are associated with peaty soils and may be found in Broadland, Fenland, along river valleys and in places where drainage is impeded.
When surveying a meadow look for:
- Water mint
- Meadowsweet
- Ragged-Robin
Surveying meadows – How do I carry out a simple habitat survey for grasslands in our parish?
One simple method of surveying meadows is to map all the grassland habitats in your area and mark them onto a map. You may be able to carry out this type of survey from existing public rights of way and roads, but if there are parts of your survey areas that are not visible from public rights of way you will first need to obtain the landowner’s permission before accessing those areas.
Use a map which is detailed enough to show field boundaries and then mark onto the map all the areas of grassland in your area onto the map using coloured pencils. Use a different colour for:
- Improved agricultural grassland.
- Amenity grassland (such as playing fields and parks).
- Marshy grassland (usually indicated by the presence of rushes in the grassland.
- Rough grassland on disturbed sites (tall plants like rosebay willowherb, cow parsley, hemlock, nettles or ragwort growing mixed in with grasses).
- Roadside verge which looks particularly species-rich.
- Unimproved grasslands.
Your completed map can then be used to select areas to carry out more detailed surveys. For example, you may choose to target some of the unimproved or semi-improved grasslands to visit in spring and summer to survey species.
Surveying meadows – What are the indicators of ‘unimproved’ grasslands?
When surveying meadows, the following features are indicators that the grassland is unimproved:
- Ant hills – these indicate that a grassland has not been ploughed for some years.
- General colour – wild flower rich grasslands from a distance appear as a mosaic of greens, browns and yellows. This is caused by the presence of many grass species rather than the single or very limited range in a seeded grassland.
- A tussocky sward – improved grasslands usually lack structure so look for grasslands which are textured with lots of tussocks and uneven growth.
- Uneven topography with hollows and hillocks, grassland on steep slopes (all may indicate that grassland has not been ploughed in recent).
- Presence of indicator species of wild flowers – large areas of plants such as oxeye daisy, ragged-robin, or meadow buttercup in spring and summer may be quite easy to spot from a distance. A single species spotted from a distance will not prove that you have found old grassland but may indicate a site worth surveying.
Occasionally landowners will sow a mixture of arable weeds, such as poppies and cornflowers, onto field margins or sometimes complete fields. These are often temporary features and should not be confused with genuine unimproved grasslands which will contain many more species and include some or all of the features mentioned above.
Surveying meadows – How do I carry out a simple survey of a single grassland or meadow site?
Use survey form p
surveying meadows
This will enable you to record the main features of the site and identify if a selection of unimproved grassland indicator species are present. The best time to carry out this meadow survey is in May or June.
Surveying meadows – How do I carry out repeated surveys of a grassland area to note changes?
Use survey form k
If you are surveying meadows and want to monitor the impact of your management on a plant species - or if you want to repeat surveys at the same grassland site over a number of years - then using a quadrat is a good technique. Using a quadrat will help you notice the less conspicuous plants within the grassland and provides a simple way of gaining some information on the abundance of different species. A quadrat is a square frame usually 0.5 x 0.5m or 1 x 1m. For ease of carrying it can be made so that it will fold. Quadrats are typically used in one of two ways:
- At random – on small sites you can simply stand in the centre of the site and throw the quadrat in different directions sampling wherever it falls.
- Along a transect – this is probably the best way if you want to repeat the survey at different times of the year or on a regular basis over several years. Mark out a line using a measuring tape and poles (bamboo canes are light and easy to carry) and then place the quadrat at repeated intervals along the line. Depending on the size of the site every five or ten metres may be appropriate.
Whether using the ramdom technique or the transect, a minimum of five quadrat records should be made.
For each plant species identified within your quadrat estimate the percentage of the quadrat area covered using the following codes:
Code
D = species is
dominant and makes us more that 50% of area.
Code
A = species is
abundant and makes up between 26% and 50% of area.
Code
F = species is
frequently encountered and makes up between 11% and 25% of area.
Code
O = species is
occasionally encountered and makes up between 5% and 10% of area.
Code
R = species is
rare and makes up less than 5% of the area.
If you wish to use your transect over several years it is worth considering some way of permanently marking the position of the transect line (with metal pegs, for example), whilst ensuring that this does not become a safety hazard or obstruct future management work on the site. It is also interesting to keep a photographic record of each quadrat, as this will also build up a visual record of any changes over time.