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Orchards have been made a priority habitat under the Biodiversity
Action Plan scheme, which shows their importance as a resource
to wildlife. What makes orchards so special? One of the key
characteristics of orchards, making them important to wildlife, is
the habitat mosaic generated by the presence of both a tree canopy
and a grassland area (not to mention all of the other habitats
present).
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Fruit Trees
Fruit trees have special characteristics; they are short
lived and age quickly. A typical apple tree may only live up
to 100 years old, possibly less. This means that fruit trees
develop veteran features relatively quickly, compared to
other tree types. For most trees, such as oak, beech and
ash, it may take hundreds of years for these features to
develop.
Veteran features are traits which develop as a tree ages
and include things like holes in the trunk and branches,
sections of deadwood in the canopy, sap runs, creviced bark,
and aerial roots.
Veteran features are important to wildlife for many
reasons. They provide a habitat to live in, such as for
roosting bats in tree trunk holes. They are a food source as
the dead wood in the canopy is fed on by many beetle larvae.
Another special characteristic of fruit
trees is the fact that they produce fruit! Although most of
this fruit will be harvested for human use in a typical
orchard, the fruit which is missed and falls to the ground
provides an invaluable source of food to many animals, most
notably birds and mammals. |
Plum tree showing veteran features © Alice Rees |
Another special feature of fruit trees is the development of
spring blossom. This blossom provides an important early nectar
source to our bees Grassland In an orchard it is advantageous to the
orchard owner to keep grassland present under the trees as this
ensures the trees will grow most vigorously and will make fruit
harvesting much easier. Thus, as well as the whole host of organisms
which live in the trees, this grassland habitat allows a wealth of
different wildlife to live within the same section of land. This
results in high biodiversity.
The type of grassland present will be influenced by the type of
management practice taking place. If an annual hay cut is carried
out each year with a program of aftermath grazing, a hay meadow can
develop rich in flowers. Alternatively the grassland may be managed
as pasture, which is the more traditional method of orchard
grassland management. This involves grazing throughout the year,
with scheduled periods where the grassland is left ungrazed to allow
it to recover. Both methods result in a grassland useful to wildlife
in terms of both flora and fauna.
Orchard grassland © Rick Park
Other habitats
An orchard will usually always be found as part of a system of
other important habitats. Habitats which may be found within an
orchard which further improve the value of orchards to biodiversity
include hedgerows, ponds and ditches.
Orchard Woodland
Who lives in your orchard? So after having discussed why orchards
are important, who actually lives within this marvellous habitat?
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Birds
Many birds utilise orchards throughout the year. As already
mentioned, many birds will feed on the fallen fruit in
autumn.
As well as this, insectivorous birds will
visit orchards to feed on caterpillars and other insects
living on the fruit trees.
Encouraging these birds in to an orchard
can be an effective chemical free method of pest control –
try hanging feeders in your trees to help keep aphid numbers
down!
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Redwing making use of fallen fruit ©
www.15acresinkent.com |
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Mistletoe © PTES |
Mammals
Similar to birds, many mammals will also take advantage of
the fallen fruit, for example hedgehogs and foxes.
Mistletoe
A semi-parasitic plant, found in many trees, but preferring
to grow in apple trees. It has high conservation value.
Read more about mistletoe at:
www.gwentwildlife.org/mistletoe.htm
Bees
Orchard and bees go hand in hand. The orchard owner is
pleased their trees are being pollinated to give maximum
fruit yields and the bees are glad of the early nectar
source from the spring blossom. |
Fungi
Most fungi have specific host trees, or groups of host trees which
are the only types of tree that the fungi can grow on or near.
Orchards are therefore important to fungi which grow on trees within
the genus Malus (apples), Prunus (cherries and plums) and Pyrus
(pears). Additionally, many fungi will only grow on trees showing
veteran features. The grassland component of an orchard is also very
important to many fungi, including waxcaps.
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Noble chafer © Paul Brock |
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The noble chafer beetle
Worth a special mention as this beetle is the focus of many
orchard surveys across the UK. It is a Biodiversity Action
Plan priority species whose grubs develop within holes in
trees, most commonly apple trees.
Orchards are the most important habitat to
this rare beetle and without our orchards, it is very likely
we may lose the beautiful noble chafer forever.
Butterflies
Butterflies and moths too may take advantage of fallen fruit
as a source of sugar rich fluids, however they will also be
grateful for the wildlife flowers present in the grassland
beneath the trees. |
If you
would like to be involved in this project, or would like to request
further information, please contact Alice Rees, the Perllannau
Gwent / Gwent Orchard Project officer on
arees@gwentwildlife.org
or 01600 740600.
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