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Visiting the field at the end of August, from left: Mary Gillham (renowned wildlife author) Val Caple (Editor, Newsletter and Website www.penlline.org.uk), Joan Raum (Botanist), Ken Price (local naturalist) and Jeff Raum (ex CPRW).
At one point Mary commented, "Don't bring any student botanists here, they will be totally confused. The textbooks do not cover this kind of field!"
This comment came after Mary had been studying the field plants and noticed lime lovers and lime haters growing happily alongside each other. The field's underlying rock is hard carboniferous limestone with a thin layer of brown earths above. The upper layer has an average PH of 6, on the acid side of neutral, despite the alkaline base. Local and seasonal variations of PH values will occur due to the leaching effect of rainfall and the impact of ants, rabbits and moles in changing soil composition.
In her book on the limestone area of Ewenny/Ogmore (Glamorgan Heritage Coast Wildlife Series Volume 3, Limestone Downs) she mentions the concept of the limestone heath, and it seems as if we have something similar in the Parish Field. As a result of this rare unimproved and unploughed habitat, the field exhibits an unusual collection of flora, with well over 200 species of plant recorded here over the past ten years, a very large number for such a small field.
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