Biodiversity in Wrexham - Wrexham County Borough Council

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Farmland Arable Field Margins Arable field margins are strips of land lying between arable crops and the field boundary, they extend for a limited distance into the crop. Margins are usually 2 to 6 metres wide, but are even more valuable when much wider. This margin is usually uncultivated natural grassland, self-seeded, or sown with a carefully chosen wildlife mix, and with a diversity of perennial broadleaf plants. The vegetation is cut to prevent scrub invasion. The crop margin is cultivated as part of the field, but pesticides and fertilisers are reduced or ideally not applied at all to this margin, allowing arable annual plants and invertebrates to prosper. Arable field margins provide nesting and feeding sites for grey partridge, barn owl and other birds. Overall, some 300 species of plants can occur in arable fields 34 Small flowered catchfly
Large white butterfly Many species of butterflies, grasshoppers, and bugs are associated with such sites. Many polyphagous invertebrates (i.e. feeders on a range of foods) breed in crops, spending the winter on grassy banks and at the interface of crops, hedges and other features. Some 2,000 species of invertebrates are commonly found in arable fields. Field margins support invertebrates of economic, ecological and aesthetic value, and with certain predatory species increase crop yields without the use of pesticides. Even more dependent on arable field margins are the rare arable annual flowers that occur in the crop margin. Arable wild flowers are of conservation concern because of enormous national declines in their distribution and abundance. Overall, some 300 species of plants can occur in arable fields. Hedgerows A hedgerow has many diverse functions. Primarily they are thought of as confining livestock and defining property and rights of way. Traditionally they were also a source of wood and timber, shelter, grazing and a source of herbs and fruit. They are either created by someone deliberately planting, arise naturally, or indicate the previous existence of woodland that has been lost. Ancient hedgerows, which tend to be those which support the greatest diversity of plants and animals, may be defined as those which were in existence before the Enclosure Acts, passed between 1720 and 1840 in Britain. Those hedgerows which contain 5 or more native woody species (shrubs and trees) in a 30- metre length are considered species rich. Max Hooper revived the scientific study of hedges in the 1970s. He is responsible for the famous rule that the number of tree and shrub species in a 30-metre length is equal to the age of the hedge in centuries. Hedgerows support a diverse range of plants and animals 35
Page 1 and 2: Club-tailed dragonfly Biodiversity
Page 3 and 4: Biodiversity in Wrexham Slow worm C
Page 5 and 6: R Key Brownfield or Previously Deve
Page 7 and 8: Wrexham Biodiversity Action Plan Wr
Page 9 and 10: Wetlands and Fresh Water Wetlands a
Page 11 and 12: In towns, urban rivers and streams
Page 13 and 14: Bettisfield Moss Other protected si
Page 15 and 16: Common frog Ponds are by definition
Page 17 and 18: Great Crested Newt The largest of t
Page 19 and 20: Blanket Bog Blanket bog occurs on d
Page 21 and 22: Black grouse CCW Heavy grazing by s
Page 23 and 24: Wet Woodland Wet deciduous woodland
Page 25 and 26: Lowland Mixed Deciduous Woodland Mo
Page 27 and 28: Hazel Dormouse The hazel dormouse i
Page 29 and 30: Agriculturally improved grasslands,
Page 31 and 32: Species Barn Owl Widely distributed
Page 33 and 34: Urban and Brownfield Habitats Garde
Page 35: Species Hedgehog Hedgehogs are well
Page 39 and 40: Traditional Orchards Traditional or
Page 41 and 42: Brown Hare Brown hares are most oft
Page 43 and 44: Further Information on Biodiversity

Biodiversity in Wrexham - Wrexham County Borough Council

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