The Grassland
The open grassland with its combination of cropped and longer grasses is feature of Croft Close Nature Reserve– and one which is not common locally.
This landscape is shaped by rabbits, taking advantage of the bramble banks as shelter. Being largely in the centre of the site it was slow to be colonised by trees.
Some of the grassland, especially the North- and South Rabbit-grazed Lawns sit on free-draining soils, which contributes to the flora found there. However, a clay layer below impedes drainage so after prolonged winter rains a shallow pond can form at the west end of the Rabbit-grazed Lawns.
Despite the attention of the rabbits (and muntjac) the grassland is threatened by bramble colonisation. Consequently, a routine winter task (outside the bird breeding season) is to cut back bramble stems extending into the grassland. This is complemented by beheading stems erupting from unseen roots within the grassy areas – something which continues through the summer.
The aim of the management is threefold:
To retain the current mix of heavily cropped and longer grasses
To retain the diverse flora within the grasslands – three red-listed plants are found in Croft Close Nature Reserve’s grasslands
To prevent encroachment of the grassland from the brambles and other scrub, so allowing the grassland biota to thrive in a stable environment. This includes controlling shading from trees.
Until recently the grazing pressure has kept a large area of very short, cropped grass. In 2024 the area of this was seemingly reduced and there were large swathes of (short) willowherb. In Moth Meadow, there was a profusion of Bristly oxtongue which while attractive might dominate at the expense of other plants. In some locations thistles were becoming dominant.
To address these in future the following is envisaged:
Cutting (mowing) the long grass meadows on a rotation
Tackling thistle spread by digging out Spear Thistle (using a trenching spade or equivalent) and beheading Creeping Thistle before it sets seed
Continuing with the programme to tackle bramble incursion.
Within the grasslands saplings are continually establishing. These provide shelter for animals as well as potential “stepping stones” across the grassland. They also add visual amenity. The current practice is to control development of saplings so the extensive grassland feature is retained. This entails:
Selective removal of the smaller saplings, normally limited to one-sixth of the total each winter period
While mowing and bramble removal will also result in seedlings being cut down, selected seedlings may be allowed to develop if required to retain the current character of an area.
Thinning and coppicing older saplings to ensure heavy shading of adjacent grassland is avoided.