Understanding Habitat

Ten practical activities focusing on observation, comparison, and analysis of habitat types:

• Level 1: Basic Observation and Identification

• 1. The "Property Surveyor" Walk Choose a local patch and act as a surveyor. Instead of looking for pretty flowers, look for "key features" that define the space—such as canopy height, ground dampness, or soil type—to determine its broad Phase 1 classification (e.g., Woodland vs. Grassland).

• 2. The 5-Metre Square Audit Select a small 5m x 5m area and list every plant species you can identify. Use a field guide to check the "habitat preference" for each. Does the majority suggest a single habitat, or is there a "mix" of types present?.

• 3. Habitat Preference Mapping Pick three distinct plants (e.g., a specific fern, a grass, and a wildflower). Research their "specialized preferences". Go into the field and try to find them; note whether they are actually growing in the habitat type you expected or if they have found a "micro-habitat" niche.

• Level 2: Analysing the "Habitat Mix"

• 4. The "Majority Rule" Challenge Find a site where habitats overlap, such as a woodland edge. Record ten different plants and tally which habitat each is associated with. Use "common sense" and the frequency of species to decide if the site is predominantly one habitat or a true hybrid of two.

• 5. Spotting the "Vagrants" In a heavily managed area like a park or garden, identify plants that seem "out of place". Determine if these are "vagrants" introduced by human activity (intentionally or unintentionally) or if they represent a tiny pocket of natural habitat surviving in a hostile environment.

• 6. The Indicator Species Hunt Using the Sidmouth project's preference for Phase 1 classification, search for "indicator species"—plants that are so specialized they almost certainly define the habitat. For example, look for specific mosses or ferns that only grow in high-moisture "wet woodlands".

• Level 3: Advanced Landscape Detective Work

• 7. Reading the Human Influence Visit a site that looks "natural" and search for signs of human distortion. Can you find a "Coniferous Plantation" (regularly spaced trees, limited undergrowth) and distinguish it from a "Coniferous Woodland"?. List how human activity has changed the species mix.

• 8. Hedgerow History Detective Find an old hedgerow and look for "Ancient Woodland Indicator" species (like Wood Anemone or Bluebells). If you find them, you may have discovered a "remnant" of a forest that existed centuries ago, now reduced to a thin line of shrubs.

• 9. The Hostile Habitat Survey Visit a "hostile" environment like a shingle beach or a rocky outcrop. Count the few specialist species that can survive there. Then, look at the "fringes" where soil is thinner to see how "cultivated" or "weed" species from nearby human areas are trying to move in.

• 10. The Animal Prediction Test Once you have created a "habitat profile" for a site based on its plants, use that profile to predict what insects or birds should be there. Search the area specifically for those animals. If you find an insect that is hard to identify, use your "habitat mix" data to narrow down the list of likely candidates.