Ham Hill Country Park is a very diverse site that supports a patchwork of habitats, and as a result many different plant and animal species are found here. With two types of grassland, scrubby patches, semi-natural woodlands and tufa streams, the site is alive with wildlife throughout the year.
Warning
In the summer months a plant called wild parsnip grows on Ham Hill. The plant is tall with yellow upside-down umbrella shaped flowers. Avoid getting the sap from this plant on your skin as it can cause quite a severe red rash, and if this is then exposed to sunlight it can cause blistering. If your skin comes up in a rash or blisters after visiting Ham Hill do not be alarmed - cover up your skin so that it is not exposed to sunlight, and seek medical attention if rash/blisters do not start to reduce within a few days.
Please also be aware of ticks (small parasites) that can be picked up whilst walking in long grass and bracken in particular. Please visit the Lyme Disease Action website for more information.
Woodland and scrub
There are some wonderful woodlands to explore within the Country Park. The ranger team practice traditional methods to manage them such as coppicing and thinning, ensuring the long life of trees and varied woodland plants below. In early spring, the woodland floors are a sea of yellow when the lesser celandines are the first flowers to emerge, closely folllowed by primroses, violets and then in April a carpet of bluebells. Although the woodlands are made up of mostly native species such as ash, oak and hazel, there are some areas of sycamore trees due to disturbance throughout the years and also a few coniferous species such as firs and pines which were introduced exotics from when the woods were part of the Montacute estate.
If you walk as far as Pit Wood you may see dragonflies and damselflies buzzing around, hunting in the grassland. These insects are the most beautiful colours, and generally dragonflies are bigger than damselflies. The only sure way to tell them apart is to study them when they are resting; damselflies fold their wings behind their backs, whilst dragonflies keep their wings open.
Close to Pit Wood is Horses Wood, which is frequented by Greated Spotted woodpeckers due to the amount of dead tree left standing. The wood is situated in the wide open area known as Witcombe Valley, which is grazed during the summer months to maintain a tussocky grassland habitat where buzzards can be seen by day, and owls by night. This grassland is also home to many green woodpeckers that feed off the many ants nests, and many fungi species that thrive in the humid grass tussocks.
Walking along the scrub-edged paths from one area to another offers a chance to glimpse a variety of wildlife species, from the beautiful blackthorn blossom of spring, to the prehistoric looking bracken, and hedgerow plants of summer, followed by the browns and reds of Autumn. As you walk along you are likely to see many small hedgerow birds such as robins, blackbirds and finches.
Grassland and meadows
The nutrient poor soils found across the majority of the Country Park support a rare type of grassland (calcareous). Nationally important for its many flowering plants, it is similar to Sussex Downland. Many plant species such as birds-foot-trefoil and wild thyme live very close together in a tightly knit matt, all competing for a few limited nutrients. This grassland covers the hilly mounds left by Victorian quarrying and it changes colour throughout the summer as the yellows, purples and whites of the wildflowers bloom and fade. Butterflies are frequently seen on warmer, calmer days in this habitat, also attracted to the buddleia shrubs that grow on this more disturbed ground.
If you are interested in butterfly walks on Ham Hill and across Somerset you can order a booklet from Butterfly Conservation
In the summer the traditionally managed hay meadows (throught cutting and grazing) are alive with wildlife. Buttercups, vetches, orchids, cranesbill and many attractive grasses create a wonderful scene, whilst hundreds of insects buzz around them. The tall grasses and flowers of this habitat provide ideal areas for ground nesting birds, and there is a good population of skylarks in these meadows.
Repair work is continually carried out on the dry stone walls that separate the meadows. Walls like these provide excellent habitats for all sorts of wildlife. Insects will use the smallest nooks and crannies, which will in turn attract birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Very quickly communities will develop in the new walls and if you sit patiently you may be lucky to see the lives of the inhabitants of this set of high rise flats!
Please do not pick the flowers as they will quickly die, and more people will be able to
enjoy them in their natural setting. Also please keep to the mown paths in meadows so as not to disturb birds and other wildlife, and keep dogs on a lead.
Please select a link below to find out more information about Ham Hill's wildlife:
