(Please note, the colour coding given to each section description matches that of the Belt Transect Diagram to aid understanding.)

These descriptions build upon the descriptions of the sections given in the 2000 ecological survey and should be read in conjunction for maximum benefit.
Spring Cut Sections 2000

False Oat Grass had become common in the lower half of the section. (This is the longer grass visible in the lower half of the picture on the left.)

Velvet Bent had not been recorded in this section the previous year, but featured in more than a quarter of the quadrats sampled this year. Of the other spring cut sections, it also increased slightly  in section 7, but remained minimal in section 4.

Bramble (left) had tripled in section 2. It had also increased, although to a much lesser extent in the other 2 spring cut sections.

The amount of Ivy (left) had more than doubled in section 2. It was now a dominant species, creeping over significant patches of ground.

Ivy did not feature in either of the two other spring cut sections.

A variety of creeping herbs such as violets, Yellow Pimpernel, Heath Speedwell and Bugle were intermingled with the grasses.

(A small sprig of Polytrichum formosum can also be seen at the bottom centre of the picture on the left.)

Compact Rush (left) which was a dominant species in section 4, was also noticeable in section 2.

It was recorded in more than half the quadrats sampled in section 4, but had decreased substantially in the other spring cut section 7.

Section 2 was also characterized by Enchanter's Nightshade, Hedge Woundwort and Wood Sage.

The patch of Bell Heather first recorded in section 2 in 1999 continued to expand.

Interspersed among the grasses in the more open areas were an abundance of ground level herbs such as violets, Yellow Pimpernel, Bugle and Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil.

Hedge Woundwort and Raspberry were also very prominent in section 4.

Moss was relatively uncommon in this section.

The lower half of section 7 continued to be very different from the rest of the spring cut sections, as well as from the neighbouring sections.

The bottom half was dominated by European Gorse, Heather and Bell Heather (left), with Bramble climbing amongst the other dominant plants.

Where the gorse and Heather formed very thick clumps over much of the lower half of the section, there was very little moss present.

Because of the patchy nature of their occurrence, the abundance of the two latter species was not truly reflected in the quadrats sampled.

The upper half of the section was substantially different to the lower half and resembled the other spring cut sections more closely.

This upper half was grassy, with Common and Velvet Bents and Yorkshire Fog as the main components. A variety of herbs, such as violet and Heath Speedwell were also interspersed among the grasses.

Rhododendron is also visible in the lower left of the picture.

Ecological Survey 2001
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