Читать книгу Suffolk Coast and Heath Walks. 3 long-distance routes in the AONB: the Suffolk Coast Path, the Stour and Orwell Walk and the Sandlings Walk онлайн

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On the shingle beaches, specialist maritime plants such as sea campion, sea holly, sea pea, yellow-horned poppy and sea kale all manage to find a toe-hold, while flowering sea lavender creates a pleasing purple carpet alongside the estuaries. Pockets of broad-leaved woodland with oak, ash and hazel, remnants of the ancient wild wood that once covered the county, provide another haven for wildlife, with shade-loving flowers such as bluebells, wood anemone, red campion and early purple orchid all thriving. In addition, the woodland offers a home to relatively scarce birds including warblers, woodlark and nightingales and woodland butterfly species such as white admiral, purple hairstreak and speckled wood.

The large conifer forests, such as those at Tunstall and Rendlesham, have a more limited flora, but still provide an important habitat for some species of bird and animal, notably muntjac and fallow deer. Since 1987, when the great October storm destroyed large areas of conifer plantation, tree planting has generally been carried out in a more environmentally sensitive manner, with more variety as well as the provision of grassy rides and open glades for wildlife.