East Anglia Habitats

Earlier in the year, Norfolk Wildlife Trust launched its Poppy Field Survey, with the aim to put Norfolk's poppy fields on the map. The survey took place over June and July, and over 150 people took part. Fields coloured red with poppies are a rare sight today. NWT wanted to discover how many poppy fields exist in Norfolk, and invited members of the public to send their sightings and photos by postcard or email. There was excellent coverage and NWT is confident that the vast majority of whole poppy fields in Norfolk have been reported.

The results have now been analysed, and are quite astounding! The biggest surprise was that no whole fields of poppies were recorded in the coastal strip between Sheringham, Cromer and Overstrand, which is traditionally known as Poppyland, given its famous name by 19th century poet and columnist Clement Scott. NWT has produced a distribution map, dividing Norfolk into 10km areas. It shows the flowers are more prevalent in the south, suggesting other areas of Norfolk could make a better claim to this title today.

NWT education manager said the survey revealed there were now fewer than 50 whole fields of poppies in Norfolk. This is undoubtedly a drop from years ago. "We can be certain that poppy fields are a much rare sight than in the 1930s and 1940s."

The spread of poppy fields shows clearly that they are less likely to be found on the wetter, low-lying peat soils of the Fens and the Broads. No poppy fields were recorded on the western edge of Norfolk in Fenland. The distribution map suggests that poppy fields are most likely to be found on sandy and freely drained soils. Poppy fields are a rarity - this year there were fewer than 50 whole poppy fields in Norfolk. Strips of poppies, however, along field edges are far commoner than whole fields of poppies and poppies remain widespread on roadside verges in many parts of Norfolk.

Norfok Wildlife Trust is keen to encourage people to get out and enjoy the many spectacles that Norfolk's wildlife provides. They have had similar successes with their Wildlife in the City survey and Walk to School and Make It Count initiative. NWT is hoping to develop a new Natural Connections project that will enable more surveys involving the public to be run in Norfolk. A bid has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

More information can be found at: www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk

Suffolk Wildlife Trust will be complementing its heathland grazing sheep flock with five Exmoor ponies which have made the long journey down from Northumberland where they have been grazing a lowland heath successfully for three years - the ponies previously came from Exmoor where they were born.

The ponies have a good temperament, are small, very hardy and the rarest of our British native breeds - there are less than 1200 Exmoors in the world making them rarer than the Giant Panda although less selective in their eating habits! Although semi wild, the ponies have been bucket trained and will follow a bucket into a pen which make them easier to handle.

The addition of the ponies will reduce the need for machinery on the heathland and because they are hardier than sheep it is hoped that they will be able to spend all year out on the heaths.

Since the 1930s, 80 percent of Suffolk's unique Sandlings heaths have been destroyed through farming, forestry and development. Half of the remaining habitat became overgrown as traditional sheep farming and firewood cutting declined. Through the reintroduction of grazing the heathland landscape is making a comeback, providing the perfect environment for a rich variety of wildlife including the silver studded blue butterfly, stonechat, nightjar and woodlark.

The new arrivals come from the Moorland Mousie Trust, a charitable trust set up to preserve the ponies and ensure that the moor breeders go on breeding by giving them a realistic price for their colt foals. These foals are wild and require handling and gelding which costs money and requires expertise which the MM Trust provides.

The Exmoor grazing is part of a wider package of heathland restoration in the Sandlings which has been supported by the SITA Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund. This funding has also allowed the Trust to employ stockperson Jane Barber on a full-time basis to handle the additional responsibilities of managing the ponies.

More information can be found at: www.suffolkwildlife.co.uk

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