Around the Town

Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum):
An invasive plant from the carrot family, introduced by the Romans, which poses a significant management problem on West Hill due to its rampant spread.

Amenity Grassland:
Grassed areas, typically lawns, that are regularly mowed and maintained for recreational or aesthetic purposes, often leading to lower species diversity.

Biodiversity Network:
A collective of diverse habitats and sites that, when considered together, support a broader range of species and ecological functions than they might individually.

Brownfield Site:
In urban ecology, land that has been previously altered or developed by human activity and intervention. Despite these past changes, such sites can still hold significant ecological value.

Coastal Habitat:
Environments located along the coastline, characterised by challenging conditions such as high salt concentrations, unstable ground, and exposure to wind and waves.

Cryptogam Species:
Plants that reproduce by spores, such as ferns, mosses, liverworts, and lichens, as opposed to flowering plants that reproduce by seeds. Glen Goyle is noted for these.

Cultivated and Disturbed Land:
Areas that have been tilled, planted, or otherwise significantly altered by human activity, often leading to specific plant communities, including "weeds of cultivation" and garden "escapes."

Culverting:
The practice of enclosing a natural watercourse, like a brook or stream, in an underground pipe or channel, often for urban development or flood control. Part of Glen Goyle's brook is culverted.

Ecological Network:
Interconnected habitats and areas that allow for the movement of species and the flow of ecological processes, contributing to overall biodiversity.

Halophytes:
Salt-tolerant plant species that have adapted to survive and thrive in environments with high salt concentrations, such as coastal areas like the Seafront and Jacob's Ladder.

Lime Mortar:
A traditional building material used in old structures, like the Parish Churchyard walls, which is porous and less harsh than modern cement, allowing plants like lichens and mosses to colonise joints.

Millennium Walkway:
A specific path or structure located on the Sidmouth seafront, near areas like Jacob's Ladder and the beach garden.

Naturalized Garden Escapes:
Non-native plant species originally cultivated in gardens that have spread and established themselves in wild or semi-wild areas.

Nutrient-Poor Soil:
Soil lacking essential nutrients required for vigorous plant growth, a characteristic of shingle beaches and other harsh environments.

Shingle Beach:
A type of beach composed of small, rounded pebbles rather than sand, presenting challenging conditions for plant life due to instability and poor water retention.

Sid Valley Biodiversity Group:
A group that partners with volunteers, such as Sidmouth in Bloom, to improve natural areas like the beach garden.

Sidmouth in Bloom:
A volunteer group that works to enhance the horticultural and environmental quality of Sidmouth, involved in projects like the beach garden.

Tetrapod Species:
A superclass of animals including all four-limbed vertebrates: amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. Powys House is noted for records of tetrapod species.

Waxcap Fungi:
A group of often brightly coloured fungi considered rare and typically indicative of old, unimproved grasslands. Their presence near the bowling green is significant.

Weeds of Cultivation:
Plant species that readily grow in disturbed ground, often associated with gardens and cultivated land, and are typically considered undesirable in managed landscapes.