The coast is a fascinating place. Its geology can be the same for long distances but influences such as soil type, weather and its position will contribute to develop a wide range of habitats.
Man with his farming and conservation actions can also very much influence the evolution of coastal habitats over time.
Heathland
At the back of a sand dune or on a cliff top, a heath can form.
This is a specialised type of plant life which grows on a poor acidic and usually well drained soil, typically formed from acidic rocks like slate.
In this tough environment only specialised plants and insects can thrive.
Dunwich Heath, Suffolk
© NTPL / Paul Wakefield
|
We look after heaths at Dunwich in Suffolk which have formed on very sandy soils laid down in past ice ages. |
Kynance, Cornwall and the Llŷn Peninsula, Gwynedd
| At Kynance in Cornwall and on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, heaths have formed on soils from acidic rocks like slates, shales and some volcanic rock types like granite and serpentine. |
© NTPL / Paul Wakefield
|
Grassland
At the top of cliffs, if there is some soil, small plants can start to grow and begin to form a grassland.
The type of grassland that grows very much depends on the soil type, which depends on the rock type that formed it.
The underlying geology of the coast is eventually broken down into soil which can be either acid, neutral or basic in nature. Each type of soil can result in different types of grassland living in different situations.
The grassland might evolve into scrub and eventually woodland or into a mixture of different types.
Brean Down, Somerset
© Dylan Lumborg
|
Brean Down juts into the Bristol Channel with very different grassland on the south facing and north facing slopes of the headland. |
Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire
| In Yorkshire the different geology and soil type and depth has influenced many different types of plant life that have formed in Robin Hood's Bay. |
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
|
The White Cliffs of Dover, Kent
© NTPL / Stuart Chorley
|
At the White Cliffs a limestone grassland has formed, kept short by grazing animals. |
|
