Buxton Heath

Buxton Heath is a short drive north of Norwich. Phil the warden meets our group on campus and kindly gives us a lift in the old but reliable BTCV minibus.

The work often involves cutting back gorse, willow and birch. Hacking back plants may seem counterproductive for a Conservation Society, but our efforts help preserve the heath by preventing scrub vegetation from taking over.

Buxton is a place well worth preserving. This gem of a reserve holds a fantastic mix of habitats and an even longer list of cute, curious or just incredibly interesting creatures.

After a rewarding session of work (interspersed with tea breaks), Phil and the other members of the Buxton Wildlife Group lead a tour of the reserve to point out its many wonders.

As well as being home to the endangered Silver-studded blue butterflies and rare species of Orchids, Buxton hosts a variety of unusual fungi and many other creatures that are easily seen if you know where to look.

In early summer we’ve seen large numbers of adders basking in the sun. In the distance you might catch a fleeting glimpse of deer as they dart across the heath, dusky ghosts in the mist.

Frogs have hopped by, lizards crawled and on several occasion we’ve encountered a slow worm (not actually a worm, but fairly slow). Finally, the friendly on-site cows occasionally come to say hello.

Visit the Buxton Heath website at:

http://buxtonheath.8bit.co.uk/buxtonheath.html