Heather Trust AGM

The Heather Trust AGM listening to George Winn-Darley at Goathland Moor, North York Moors

The Heather Trust AGM took place in Pickering at the start of the month. With a theme of "Cutting Management", the delegates listened to four presentations at the event held at the White Swan Inn. With topics ranging from the science and practicalities of cutting heather to an overview of Natural England's Upland Evidence Review, the meeting allowed for a lively discussion on a number of issues relating to heather management.

Following lunch at the White Swan, the meeting decamped to nearby Goathland Moor, a few miles away in the North York Moors. Ably hosted by George Winn-Darley, the group was shown a number of interesting features, including the severely frosted heather on the high, exposed tops.

The North York Moors are almost unique in their dryness, and there is an average annual rainfall of less than forty inches. To counter the various issues relating to a lack of water, Sleights and Goathland Moor have recently experimented with a number of small ponds across the high ground. Not only do these ponds serve as oases of biodiversity, but they also provide birds with access to drinking water throughout the year. An additional bonus is their value as water reserves during wildfires.

Every area of moorland is different, and after discussions ranging from grouse butts to worm burdens, the meeting moved back down to the White Swan for a final exchange of views and ideas. The Heather Trust would like to thank everyone who attended the AGM meeting and look forward to meeting members, friends and guests again next year - venue as yet undecided!

Presentation slides and Photographs from the day are now available on the Reading Room page of the Heather Trust website.

Autumn Beetles

October is a key time for the emergence and dispersal of adult heather beetles. This year, we have heard a wide range of different emergence dates for heather beetles across Britain, with some beetles being seen at the end of August. Near the Heather Trust's headquarters at Dumfries, the beetles emerged at the very end of September or the beginning of October.

For a few days, the damaged heather was smothered with beetles feeding on the plants and scrambling through the moss, but following a cold snap of weather, all beetle activity came to an abrupt end. Just three days after seeing hundreds of beetles, it was impossible to find even one on the same few square feet of moorland.

Perhaps their ability to suddenly appear and then vanish again without warning is the root of much confusion and mystery about heather beetles. It is perfectly possible to lose large areas of heather without ever seeing a single larva, let alone a beetle.

Reports continue to reach us of beetle outbreaks during 2013, but so far these are presenting a patchy picture with a trend towards smaller, less concentrated beetle attacks. So far, the largest outbreak has taken place in the Peak District, where a moor of 70Ha has suffered damage to approximately 90% of its heather plants. Other than this devastating outbreak, there has been nothing to parallel the vast enormity of previous attacks in Caithness, Exmoor and Langholm Moor.