The special habits of our heathland are home to a range of flora and fauna.

Heathland insects

Among the many insects you’ll find on our heathland are the:

• wasp spider
• silver studded blue butterfly
• grayling butterfly
• small red damselfly
• heath grasshopper
• bog bush cricket
• green tiger beetle.

Heathland birds

The wide variety of insects on the heathland attracts a range of birds, including the:

• Dartford warbler
  • a rare bird of the southern heathland which can be seen flitting across the tops of the heath all year, with a distinctive long tail and scratchy song
• hobby
  • a bird of prey that may be seen swooping down for dragonflies during the summer months
• nightjar
  • the strange metallic churr that can be heard at dusk in the summer months is the nightjar.

Heathland plants

The main plants found on heathland in the Poole area are:

• common heather, or ling
• bell heather with its brightly coloured flowers
• the short tufts of bristle bent grass
• common and western gorse.

In the wetter areas you'll also find:

• the pale flowers of cross-leaved heath cotton grass
• the yellow flower spikes of bog asphodel
• sundews, with tiny sticky red leaves that trap insects.

Heathland reptiles

All 6 British reptiles can be found on the heaths of Southeast Dorset. They are the:

• smooth snake
  • Britain's rarest, non-venomous snake can be found in deep heather
• sand lizard
  • Britain's rarest lizard can be seen basking on the edge of sandy tracks
• adder
  • Britain's only venomous snake, the adder avoids all contact with humans and dogs and will only bite as a last method of defence
• common lizard
  • a lizard which likes basking in open, sunny places
• grass snake
  • a non-venomous, sun-loving snake with a distinctive black collar around its neck
• slow worm
  • not a worm or a snake but a legless lizard.

The Reptile Guide from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust has more information.