THINGS TO NOTE AND NOTICE
Field work
Moorlands
Inhabiting the wilder, windier parts of our imaginations and the pages of many a classic novel, it's easy to forget that moors are very much real habitats, and there's no better place to blow away the cobwebs with a blustery autumn walk.
As much as 10% of the world's moorlands exist in the UK. Some were created by deforestation; others developed naturally in upland areas on shallow peat or soils, where rain washes away the nutrients and exposure slows tree growth. On flatter, poorly-drained ground, acidic boglands form and water-absorbing sphagnum moss and cotton grass grow, eventually becoming compacted into peat.
In this dramatic landscape, what does thrive seems all the more impressive. In October, heather can still be in bloom. Bilberry, crowberry and rowan thrive, too,…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2023