Finally after a four year wait the heather is starting to sprout at Hopwas, a former quarry. You may remember being part of CEMEX 1000 hectare celebration in 2017 – this celebrated CEMEX and the RSPB having created 1000 Hectare of restored habitats. Hopwas was a former sand and gravel quarry near Tamworth in the West Midlands, that was being restored to a heathland mosaic.

The RSPB worked with CEMEX to restore the site using best practice conservation techniques, CEMEX and RSPB staff took part in the event, scattering heather brash from a local SSSI heathland at Sutton Park, by hand in inaccessible areas and machine in flatter locations.

The heather brash is cuttings of heather that contain tiny seeds- propagules (dust like). The benefit of using brash is that other heath species will also be collected and spread, along with any associated microbes. There are lots of little-understood interactions between plants and microbes, and this method gives the new potential seedlings the best shot at establishing well.  Once the brash is scattered you just wait and see. We waited…and waited!

Heather potentially germinates twice a year, but the soil pH, weather and moisture conditions need to be right. In the spring following brash scattering we had a late severe snowy cold snap named ‘beast from the east’ 1 and 2 – bringing snow into May. Plus, we’ve had exceptionally dry springs with little or no rain, followed by poor summers and wet winters! Luckily heather seeds last a very long time, (Heather seeds have a half-life of circa 50-60 years i.e. half the seeds are viable for 50-60yrs) some, found at archaeological sites have been known to germinate after a thousand years.

Last year in 2020 we had started to get very concerned that perhaps there was something wrong at site – some other reason for the lack of germination, and found that on part of the land some on the deeper subsoils under that’s sandy topsoil we’re not the ideal pH.  However, site was always intended to be a heathland mosaic of features and not wall to wall heather so we weren’t too concerned.

Then last month a site visit brought us all a feeling of Joy…. HEATHER at last, upwards of 100 first year heather seedlings. We were relieved and over the moon – such positive signs of things to come.

Just shows if we do the right thing, be patient and nature will come up trumps when we give it chance.