Gower (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 99)
Jonathan Mullard
Language: English
Pages: 464
ISBN: B00PPV4TRY
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
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A definitive natural history of the Gower Peninsula, from its heritage coast and its appeal to the naturalist, to the geology, geomorphology, conservation and ecological history of this diverse area.
Located to the south west of Swansea and often described as Wales in miniature, Gower Peninsula was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in May 1956. The area is unique in terms of the variety of the habitats and species that occur within its 188 square kms. As a result, it has a greater diversity of conservation designations than almost anywhere else in the UK.
The natural history of Gower is like most parts of the British Isles – inextricably linked to the activities of man across many thousand years. New Naturalist Gower Peninsula uses the evolving landscape and the effect that the associated changes have had on species and habitats as its core approach. It provides a detailed examination of:
• The integration of the archaeological and historic landscape with the natural landscape and its associated species
• The geological creation of the peninsula
• Man’s influence on the natural environment over the centuries
• The coast and channel, including the limestone cliffs, beaches, caves and saltwater marsh
• The environmental impact of the Sea Empress oil disaster in 1996, which discharged 72,000 tonnes of oil into the sea off Gower
• The ongoing conservation of the area and the contribution that naturalists can make
Mullard also looks at notable plants species and the over-wintering bird populations on the estuary, which are of international importance. The culmination of years of research and rich with the latest information and full colour illustrations, New Naturalist Gower Peninsula is a valuable source of information on this diverse and fascinating area.
punctum (orange spot club sea squirt) 141 Palmaria palmata (dulse) 141 palmate newt (Triturus helveticus) 298 Pamponerus germanicus (robber fly) 182, 183 Panaelus 187 Panicum miliaceum (common millet) 378 Panthera leo (lion) 341 Panurus biarmicus (beared reedling) 286 Papaver (poppy) 63 P. rhoeas 329 Parablennius gattorugine (tompot blenny) 142, 144 Pararge aegeria (speckled wood butterfly) 317 parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota) 187 Pariambus typicus 136 Paris quadrifolia (herb Paris)
area. FIG 57. The extensive limestone platforms, known as ‘huvvers and scarras’, near Paviland. (Harold Grenfell) the author for Figures The key species of rocky shores have a vertical zonation, which produces a distinctive banded appearance at low tide. A zone of lichens, a white barnacle zone and a zone of brown seaweeds dominate the upper, middle and lower shore levels respectively. The brown seaweeds are also separated, the channelled wrack Pelvetia canaliculata being highest on the shore,
complanata (Fig. 73). This sociable species shelters under driftwood during the day and emerges to prey mainly on sandhoppers at night. Attempts to tidy up beaches can be highly damaging to the beetle, and strandline disturbance needs to be kept to a minimum. Beach litter is a major problem in Gower and plastic debris is present along the strandline of all beaches. Comparatively little of this is dropped by visitors to the area and most of the material is seaborne, some of it having travelled
Carmarthen Bay to the west and Swansea Bay to the east, it is a land of astonishing diversity and rich cultural history that has withstood the advance of industry and development that have been such a marked feature of neighbouring parts of South Wales over the last two hundred years. Jonathan Mullard is especially well qualified to present this account of the natural history of Gower. A professional ecologist and all-round naturalist, he was appointed Gower Countryside Officer in 1990, the
wooden pails on their heads. They walked barefoot to save their shoes and on the outskirts of town would wash their feet and put on their boots to go into town. To this day this area of Swansea is still called Olchfa, which means in Welsh ‘the washing place’. The arrival of the railway meant that fresh cockles could be sent greater distances, and women went to lodge in towns to the east of Swansea where they could receive deliveries by rail and then market them. At its height the cockle industry