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This colourful 12-page booklet is a guide to conserving the community of plants,
lichens and fungi which grow on limestone dry stone walls. Many volunteers are
engaged throughout the country in the valuable work of building and repairing
these walls. So far, however, there has been little guidance on how to do this
in a way which promotes the development and survival of this “flora”. It is
based on a study of the flora of dry stone walls in the parish of Winsley in
West Wiltshire and at the southern end of the Cotswolds, and on a range of
literature on such walls elsewhere in the Cotswolds, in the Mendips and on dry
stone walls in general. Beginning with an introduction which explains the
derivation, rationale and scope of the contents, it goes on to describe the
nature and variety of dry stone wall structures and the importance of this
habitat for wildlife. An extensive section then provides help in identifying key
species, with short, informative descriptions and colour photo illustrations.
This enables a description of the flora of a particular wall to be described, to
help make decisions on its priority for conservation. The booklet concludes by
providing point-by-point guidance on conservation measures. These should be
helpful for conservation of dry stone walls throughout the country, even when
they are not built of limestone, though the precise composition of the flora
will differ between areas and will be very different for walls made from acid
rocks. The booklet should be helpful to all involved in the building and repair
of dry stone walls, to those planning and organising their conservation, and to
botanists with an interest in the flora of this particular habitat. |
