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To most people one grassland looks much the same as another. However, there is a very great difference between the various types of grasslands. Not all grasslands are intensively farmed. Some grasslands will be on poor marginal land which are typically of low fertility (left). |
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They are often inaccessible either because the land is wet or because it is too steep (left foreground). These areas may not have been ploughed in living memory. The amount of fertiliser which is applied will be low by comparison to the intensive grassland (background). This is because the varieties of grass growing here cannot make use of high levels of nitrogen. |
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Because of the improvements in agricultural production, Britain has lost about 98% of its wildflower meadows. However, the commercial farmer will regard many of the plants growing here as weeds, although these herb rich areas are wonderful places for wildlife. In extreme cases, low yielding grasses and wildflowers such as buttercups (left) dominate. |