Wet Grassland: A Hidden Gem

This week I attended a talk run by the Floodplain Meadows Partnership. The evening consisted of several mini-talks focusing on various species found in wet grassland. Much of the time was spent looking at the Snakeshead Fritillary, a rare and iconic species found only in a handful is sites across the U.K. It also looked at bumblebees and the variety of species which use wet grassland.

These wet grassland areas are key for waders but also host a rich diversity of rare and often unique species. Take the Snakeshead Fritillary, it is found in 20 or so sites across the U.K and most of these are relatively small. Without these unique areas some of these species would not survive. A high diversity of bumblebee species were also found to use the areas and it seems that they play an important role for pollinating Fritillaries. This provides the queens bees with an important nectar source early in the year, helping them to make successful colonies later in the year.

The event really brought home to me how important these habitats are on a wider scale than just wading birds. By managing these grassland areas to keep them damp it allows a whole suite of species to survive. This builds on my last blog post about using waders as a flagship species to help protect these rare and valuable habitats.

By helping to conserve these iconic wading birds it helps to protect many less glamorous species that might otherwise struggle.