Hampstead Heath's mosaic of habitats provide an important
resource for wildlife just six kilometres from the
centre of London. It is of national as well as regional importance.
The City of London's dedicated conservation staff aim to maintain
and extend the Heath's status as one of London's best places for
wildlife.
Hampstead Heath features a number of priority
species identified in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan,
including lesser spotted woodpecker, bullfinch, stag beetle
and grass snake.
The landscape of Hampstead Heath has developed
as a direct result of its management and of how people have used it
over many years.
Habitats on Hampstead Heath
From the C17th until the late C19th there were very few
trees on Hampstead Heath, which supported a mosaic of
rich heathland communities. When it came into public ownership,
grazing declined, allowing trees and shrubs to become established
in the C20th. Hampstead Heath today comprises a mosaic of
grassland, woodland, scrub, hedgerows, ponds and wetland habitats,
with remnant areas of the original heathland
habitat.
Small areas of acid grassland are of particular note, with plants
such as heath bedstraw, oval sedge and tormentil. Attempts are
being made to retain, restore and extend these areas where
possible. Recent work by the City of London and the
Heath
Hands volunteers has reinstated small areas of the rare
heathland habitat which gives Hampstead Heath its name. On both
sides of Spaniards Road heather flowers now provide a burst of late
summer colour. These replanted areas would be greatly enhanced
by increasing connectivity between the parcels of habitat. The
remnants of a bog on West Heath contain several species of
bog-moss and water horsetail.
Most woodland on Hampstead Heath is ecologically relatively
new and is made up of birch, oaks and sycamore. Scrub
across Hampstead Heath is rather limited. Often negatively
regarded as merely ‘encroachment’ with associated loss of
grassland, scrub in the right context actually forms an important
habitat on the Heath, providing refuges for birds, with
reduced disturbance from people and dogs.
The hedgerows across Hampstead Heath are
typically dominated by hawthorn, with holly and elder. Some support
the high level of species diversity associated with ancient
hedgerows, with wild service tree, hornbeam and midland
hawthorn present. A particularly good network of hedges remains on
the Heath Extension. There are over 800 identified veteran trees on
the Heath.
There are over 30 ponds on Hampstead Heath
ranging in size and character.
Species on Hampstead Heath
Fungi and plants
Over 350 species of fungi have been recorded on
Hampstead Heath, including the rare bracket fungus Ganoderma
lucidum.
Woodland areas contain plants such as broad
leaved helleborine, lady fern, hard fern and lily of the valley.
Some of the Heath's grasslands are coloured by cowslips, black
knapweed and oxeye daisy. Devil's-bit scabious is found
on Sandy Heath. A regionally important population of
pignut is found on the middle slopes of the Heath. Wetland areas
hold marsh marigolds, purple loosetrife and water mint.
Invertebrates
A quarter of Britain’s spiders have been found on Hampstead
Heath, including the tube-web spider Atypus affinis at its
only known London site . Twenty three species of butterfly,
including breeding colonies of the woodland species purple
hairstreak can be seen. Grassland species, such as meadow
brown and gatekeeper have shown increases in numbers since mowing
regimes have been relaxed. Grasshoppers and cricket numbers
have also increased with six species recorded, including the common
green grasshopper, which is in national decline. Seventeen
species of dragonfly and damselfly have been recorded at ponds
across the Heath. This is only two species less than the list for
the whole of the neighbouring county of Hertfordshire.
Birds
Over 180 bird species have been recorded on Hampstead
Heath. All three species of woodpecker breed here. Garden
warbler and blackcap are summer visitors to the
woodland. Scrub areas support small numbers of whitethroat and
sometimes lesser whitethroat. The ancient woodland in the
Kenwood Estate holds populations of jackdaw and stock dove,
neither of which are common in London. Hedgerows
support bullfinch and song thrush which have both shown a
rapid decline in the UK recently. Birds of prey include
kestrels, sparrowhawks and, increasingly, hobby.
The wetlands have breeding great crested
grebes, reed warbler and common tern and 2001 saw the welcome
return of breeding kingfishers, which made use of a sand-bank
specially constructed to offer them a suitable nest site. They are
now regular breeders. In winter the ponds hold shoveler, gadwall,
pochard and, rarely, goldeneye.
Migration can be exciting on the heath with
large numbers of swallows and meadow pipits. A wide variety of
species can pass through including regular wheatear
and redstart and occasional whinchat, redpoll and woodcock. Siskin,
redwings and fieldfare are common on hedgerows in the
winter.
Animals
Hampstead Heath is renowned as one of the best
places to see bats in London and Natterer’s, Daubenton’s, noctule,
and both species of pipistrelle are present. Moles, foxes,
hedgehogs and occasional muntjac deer are other mammals found on
the Heath. The fascinating and totally harmless grass snake is
found here at one of its closest locations to the centre of
London.
Future management of the Heath will need to consider methods to
protect and enhance the ecological diversity whilst balancing the
demands for formal and informal recreation activities. The City of
London faces this difficult task of protecting the integrity of the
Heath's nature resource whilst encouraging contact with
wildlife.
Want to get involved?
Click here to visit the Heath Hands site.
Managing the Heath's water
Hydrology study of the
Heath (1.6mb)